What is the difference between a minimum wage law and a living wage law?

The difference between a minimum wage law and a living wage law is an important one to understand in California. A minimum wage law is a legal requirement that sets a base rate of pay for all employees in a particular state or locality. The California minimum wage is currently set at $12 per hour for employers with 25 or fewer employees, and $13 per hour for employers with 26 or more employees. These rates were recently increased in January of 2020. A living wage law, on the other hand, is not a legal requirement, but instead an ethical one. These laws are a call to action for employers to pay their employees not just the minimum wage, but a wage that is deemed to be “livable”. This could mean a wage that would be high enough to cover basic needs such as housing, healthcare, food, transportation, and other necessities. A living wage is typically higher than the minimum wage established by the government and is determined by the cost of living in a certain area. In California, some cities have passed their own living wage ordinances that require employers to pay their employees a higher rate than the minimum wage set by the state. These ordinances are designed to ensure that employers provide a fair wage for their employees and promote economic security for workers.

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What is the difference between a minimum wage law and a living wage law?

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