SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — If anyone deserves an A+ this week, it's a group of San Jose State University students who turned their Social Action class project into a successful campaign to boost the local minimum wage.
On Monday their activism paid off, as 70,000 workers in San Jose enjoyed the nation's largest minimum-wage increase, a 25 percent raise from $8 to $10 an hour.
Their teacher, sociology professor Scott Myers-Lipton, said the achievement sends a message around the U.S. that "regular folks can change economic policy in this country."
Cindy Chavez, who heads the South Bay Labor Council representing more than 90 unions, said the increase is "an incredible boost to the local economy," noting full-time minimum wage workers in San Jose will now see a $4,000 annual bump in pay.
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