Students react to the California minimum wage increase

It’s going up to $15

The Fight for $15 protests have pushed California to raise the minimum wage from the low $8.25/hr. back in 2012, and after it was slowly raised to $10 in 2016.

This law signed will make California have the highest minimum wage in the nation at $15 by 2022, way ahead of the next highest Washington D.C. at $10.50 and Massachusetts at $10.

“What really cemented this deal was the flexibility, the long term implementation, and quite frankly the specter of the initiative,” Brown said after the law signing in late March.

How does this new law affect college students in California?

Many college students on top of attending a university, also work part-time and full-time jobs at minimum wage. After years of protesting the high costs of college tuition to make it more affordable, most of the student population in California is seeing progress in the quest to liberate themselves from the debt crisis that is affecting millions nationwide.

Christopher Hayden, a student at UCSB, is currently struggling in having a minimum wage job while also trying to earn the grades he needs and have time for activities outside of school.

“I’m always in a shitty mood and stressing out over the littlest things because I feel like I’m being overworked. It’s hard to do all of this at once.”

Christopher works at a fast food restaurant on Calle Real in Goleta to help his mom pay for his tuition while also trying to pay for other necessities like rent. He is racking up major debt for him and his family but he feels that his education is worth working for.

“I’ve been working for a while now and the raise in minimum wage will help. Anything helps at this point.”

Photo by Hope Curran

This is a challenge that many students have to face, having to work in addition to going to school full-time. The rise in minimum wage is a small step in the right direction in helping the student community be able to be released from massive debt that with being in college.

“Morally and socially and politically, the minimum wages make sense because it binds the community together and makes sure people can be taken care of  in a more satisfactory way.”Gov. Brown

 

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