Labor & Employment Law Blog

On September 14, 2016, the San Mateo City Council will enact San Mateo Ordinance No. 2016-7, amending the minimum wage schedule for all employees who work a minimum of two hours a week within the geographic boundaries of the City of San Mateo, including employees who are under 18. Annual minimum wage increases will begin January 1, 2017.

San Mateo’s minimum wage will increase according to the following schedule:

• $12.00 on January 1, 2017;
• $13.50 on January 1, 2018;
• $15.00 on January 1, 2019;
• $15.00 plus an increase tied to the San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose Consumer Price Index (CPI), as determined by the United States Department of Labor, on January 1, 2020 going forward.

San Mateo has also determined that once the minimum wage is tied to the CPI, it will not decrease if there is a decrease in CPI.

There will be a one year delay in implementing this minimum wage increase schedule for all Internal Revenue Code 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations. By January 1, 2020, however, non-profit organizations will have the same minimum wage requirements as all other employers in San Mateo.

This law will affect any employer whose employees perform work within the San Mateo city limits. All work performed in the city must be paid at these minimum wage rates, which are higher than the State requirements.

Along with these increases, as we have seen in other cities that have enacted their own minimum wage ordinances, San Mateo’s ordinance includes a required minimum wage poster and notice for all employers within the city limits:

More information regarding ordinance and a sample poster may be viewed here:

(Minimum Wage Information for Employers and Employees)

(Poster)

If you have any questions regarding the applicability of this or other local employment ordinances, please contact one of the authors, or your usual employment law counsel.