Hollywood to vote on the highest minimum wage in the United States

Wages to possibly increase by $3 over state minimum

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. (KYMA, KECY/CNN) - West Hollywood's city council will be meeting on Wednesday to discuss and vote on increasing the local minimum wage to $17.64 an hour, the highest in the nation.

If passed, the increase would take effect starting in January 2022 for hotel workers, while other workers would be affected in July 2022.

While California already has the highest state minimum wage at $14, West Hollywood is looking to surpass Emeryville, California's record of $17.13 an hour, while the federal minimum has stayed at $7.25 for the past 11 years.

West Hollywood wants to increase their minimum wage to "keep workers and their families out of poverty" and "enable workers to meet basic needs and avoid economic hardship."

Companies across the U.S. have been feeling pressure to have competing wages as fewer people are looking for labor, with the average hourly pay increasing by 3.8% since September 2020.

President Joe Biden has supported an increase to the federal minimum wage by at least $7, though to no avail.