title:  Sorry, Republicans, Workers Just Got A Major Win In This State
text: California has just become the latest and biggest state where workers will now receive an increase in the minium wage, up to $15 an hour.The proposed deal would see the wage increase in the state, from $10 an hour.The Los Angeles Times, which first reported the deal, said the wage would rise to $10.50 in 2017, to $11 an hour in 2018, and one dollar per year to take it to $15 by 2022. Businesses with fewer than 25 employees would have an extra year to comply.At $10 an hour, California already has one of the highest minimum wages in the nation along with Massachusetts. Only Washington, D.C., at $10.50 per hour is higher. The hike to $15 would make it the highest statewide wage in the nation by far, though raises are in the works in other states that might change by the time the plateau is reached in 2022.The ongoing campaign to increase the minimum wage in America, dubbed  the fight for fifteen,  has received support in the states most often as part of laws enacted pertaining to government employees and not the population as a whole. Oregon has enacted legislation upping pay in urban areas, while the city of Seattle passed a minimum wage increase ordinance.Ahead of the 2014 midterm elections, Democrats introduced a bill to increase the national minimum wage to $15. Despite having a majority of the votes in the Senate, the bill failed because enough Republicans opposed it reaching the critical requirement of 60 votes in favor.On the Democratic side of the presidential race, both Clinton and Sanders have backed minimum wage increase ballot initiatives, with Sanders often being more aggressive than Clinton in backing the most progressive iterations of the legislation.Republican presidential candidates have often opposed attempts to raise the wage, with some using the excuse that it would add to the cost of goods even though research indicates that this could easily be absorbed by companies while also preserving fat profits.Featured image via Flickr