The start of the new year also means minimum wage increases in Santa Clara, Sunnyvale and the rest of California
Starting Jan. 1, 2022, the City of Santa Clara’s minimum wage will increase to $16.40 per hour.
Employers who are subject to the Santa Clara business license tax or who maintain a facility in Santa Clara will be required to pay each employee who performs at least two hours of work a week in Santa Clara at least $16.40 an hour.
The 2022 minimum wage posters for the workplace are posted on the City’s website.
The City’s minimum wage is adjusted annually based on the regional consumer price index.
For more information regarding the ordinance, visit SantaClaraCA.gov/MinimumWage, call the City Manager’s Office at 408-615-2210 or email minimumwage@santaclaraca.gov.
Sunnyvale’s Minimum Wage Increases
Starting Jan. 1, 2022, the new minimum wage rate in Sunnyvale will be $17.10 per hour.
In 2016, the Sunnyvale City Council adopted an ordinance increasing Sunnyvale’s minimum wage by $2 each year until 2018. Beginning Jan. 1, 2019, the rate adjusts each year based on inflation.
Any potential increase corresponds to the prior year’s Consumer Price Index based on the San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward regional index as reported by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.
For additional information and wage posters for businesses, visit Sunnyvale.ca.gov and search “Minimum Wage” or contact City staff at (408) 730-7902 or minimumwage@sunnyvale.ca.gov.
California’s Also Increases Wages
California’s minimum wage will increase on Jan. 1, 2022 to $15 per hour for employers with 26 or more employees, and $14 for employers with 25 or fewer employees.
In 2016, California became the first state in the nation to commit to raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour statewide by 2022 for large businesses, and by 2023 for small businesses. This law increases the minimum wage over time consistent with economic expansion while providing safety valves to pause wage increases if negative economic or budgetary conditions emerge.
State law requires that most California workers be paid the minimum wage. Some cities and counties have a local minimum wage that is higher than the state rate. Workers paid less than the minimum wage are urged to contact the Labor Commissioner’s Office to file a wage claim. In November, the Labor Commissioner’s Office launched an online wage claim application in English and Spanish for workers who are owed wages or benefits.
Employers are required to post information on wages, hours and working conditions at a worksite area accessible to employees. Notices for the wage orders in English and Spanish can be downloaded and printed from the workplace postings page on the DIR website.
Employers must ensure that the wage rate is displayed on the employee’s pay stub and that employees are paid at least the minimum wage even when employees are paid at piece rate.
Employees with work-related questions or complaints may contact the Labor Commissioner’s Office Call Center in English or Spanish at 833 LCO-INFO (833 526-4636).
