'Every little bit helps': Minimum wage to rise in 24 states as a movement toward $15 an hour builds

FULL story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2019/12/23/minimum-wage-hike-2020-pay-floor-rise-21-states-jan-1/2709875001/

Paul Davidson

Several years ago, a $15-an-hour minimum wage was the pipe dream of a national coalition of striking fast-food workers.

Now, it’s increasingly becoming a reality across the country, with significant gains expected in 2020.

The number of cities and counties with at least a $15 pay floor is set to double next year to 32, as Washington, D.C., Los Angeles and South San Francisco, along with about a dozen other California cities, adopt the benchmark, according to a report by the National Employment Law Project provided exclusively to USA TODAY. They’ll join cities such as New York, Seattle and San Francisco that are already members of the $15 club.

More broadly, 24 states and 48 cities and counties will raise their minimum wages in 2020 – a record 72 jurisdictions, the worker advocacy group’s study says. Most will occur on or about Jan. 1.