California Senate Votes To Increase Minimum Wage To $10 An Hour

The state Senate in California has passed a bill to raise the minimum wage to $10 an hour, Reuters reports.

The AB10 bill came as a compromise, which would gradually raise the wage from its current $8 to the highest in the nation, but wouldn't hit the full $10 until 2016, according to Variety. It's headed back to the Assembly where it's expected to pass before heading to Gov. Jerry Brown's desk.

Brown has already said he would sign the bill into law.

Right now, the highest minimum wage in the nation stands at $9.19 in Washington State. The federal minimum is $7.25 per hour.

The pay raise will likely be welcomed by many workers, although it falls short of the "living wage" of $15 per hour that many fast-food employees demanded in protests earlier this year.