Petaluma workers see wage increase

Some Petaluma city workers will soon see heftier paychecks, following a unanimous City Council decision Monday night to bump its living wage by 2%.

The cost of living increase for city employees is adjusted annually, factoring in the Consumer Price Index for the San Francisco Bay Area.

Increases will go into effect July 1, affecting 58 full- or part-time employees by bringing hourly rates to either $16.90 or $18.94, depending on the position.

Petaluma Planning Commissioner Blake Hooper commended the increase at Monday night’s council meeting.

“I am glad to see the proposed living wage increase is moving forward,” he said. “Many in this community are struggling to just continue to make a life here, even to thrive here.”

This annual wage hike comes as some minimum wage workers also saw a bump in pay, following the Jan. 1 citywide increase that brought base pay rates to $15.20 an hour for all employees, regardless of a business’s size or number of employees.

Yearly living wage adjustments began in 2006, when the city council adopted its living wage ordinance, which covers both city employees and entities contracted with the city.

This year marks the lowest percentage jump in 10 years, preceded only by a 1.5% cost of living adjustment in 2011, while in the last five years rate hikes have ranged between 4.5% and 2.5%.

Contact Kathryn Palmer at kathryn.palmer@arguscourier.com, on Twitter @KathrynPlmr.