Cali workers get a raise

The big news for millions of workers in California this week was the increase in the minimum wage, from $8 to $9 an hour. For full-time employees, that represents an annual salary boost of $2,080. What’s more, that rate is slated to increase again in a year and a half by another $1, pushing minimum-wage earners above the $20,000 salary mark for the first time in history. Past increases have generally been less generous. Here’s a look at the changes over the past 20 years (the increases are intermittent, not every year).

Date of change New wage Amount of increase

Oct. 1, 1996 $4.75 $0.50

March 1, 1997 $5 $0.25

Sept. 1, 1997 $5.15 $0.15

March 1, 1998 $5.75 $0.60

Jan. 1, 2001 $6.25 $0.50

Jan. 1, 2002 $6.75 $0.50

Jan. 1, 2007 $7.50 $0.75

Jan. 1, 2008 $8 $0.50

July 1, 2014 $9 $1

Jan. 1, 2016 $10 $1