Although union activists were some of the strongest proponents of the recently approved minimum wage increase for Los Angeles, local labor leaders are still looking to exempt union members from the new $15 minimum wage, arguing that most cities have a provision to protect collective bargaining rights. In contrast, several experts say that such provisions allowing workers to bargain for a subminimum wage are not as universal as claimed. Minimum wage laws with union exemptions give unions a cost advantage to businesses who are looking for cheaper labor options, while at the same time offering union members better benefit packages in lieu of higher wages.
See "Why union leaders want L.A. to give them a minimum wage loophole", Peter Jamison, July 29, 2015