On Wednesday, July 22, 2015, University of California President Janet Napolitano announced a new minimum wage plan for UC employees. Titled the “UC Fair Wage/Fair Work Plan”, the program guarantees that by October 2017 UC employees hired to work at least 20 hours a week be paid at least $15 per hour.

The plan also requires that contractors doing business with UC guarantee a $15 minimum hourly wage for their workers, ensuring that any workers being paid through a UC contract are paid fairly. The plan includes several measures to ensure contractors comply with the new minimum wage, as well as all federal, state, and UC workplace law and policies, including a telephone hotline for contract workers to report issues, and annual and periodic audits.

With this plan, UC is the first public university in the United States to voluntarily establish a $15/hour minimum wage.