• U.S.

California Strikes Deal to Hike Minimum Wage to $15

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Updated: | Originally published: ;

California lawmakers and union leaders have reportedly struck a deal to hike the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour over the next six years, Gov. Jerry Brown announced.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the deal was reached on Saturday. Brown made the official announcement on Monday, according to Reuters . The state legislature could vote on the measure by the end of next week.

“It’s a matter of economic justice and it makes sense,” Brown said at a press conference.

Under the terms of the deal, the state’s minimum wage would be raised from $10 an hour to $10.50 on Jan. 1, 2017, with a 50 cent increase the following year and $1 increases each subsequent year through 2022, bringing it to $15 an hour. Businesses with fewer than 25 employees will have until 2023 to comply.

The federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour.

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Write to Tessa Berenson at tessa.Rogers@time.com