They're 'Loving it': 2015 will see wage increases throughout the U.S.

Keeping New Year's resolutions aren't the only things that Americans have to look forward to in 2015, as 21 states and Washington D.C. are all set to increase their minimum wages on January 1.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Those who work for minimum wage, fast food, retail and service workers, often struggle to get by on a wage that does not grow with inflation or the rising cost of living. But 2014 has been huge for minimum wage workers, Seattle gave it's workers a $15 an hour minimum wage, and other cities soon followed.

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David Cooper, an economist with the Economic Policy Institute says that 2015 will be revolutionary in terms of minimum wage growth in America.

"We've seen a historic number of states increasing their minimum wages," he said. "People's understanding of where the wage floor should be has changed a lot, and in part caused by strikes and protests."

The current federal wage is set at $7.25 an hour, but 29 states will have a higher minimum wage than that in 2015, something that will put pressure on Congress to increase the federal minimum wage, and may become a major policy for 2016 presidential hopefuls.

The West Coast is ahead of the curb in most respects, already having a higher minimum wage than the federally mandated one, but cities like San Francisco and Seattle will have their minimum wages left at $15 an hour, while L.A. will also have a major hike. Even San Diego will see a $.75 hike, up from $9, with an increase continuing further down the line.

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