UC will increase the minimum wage for eligible employees on Oct. 1, the first stage of a three-year plan to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2017.

Under the new UC Fair Wage/Fair Work Plan, all employees hired to work at least 20 hours a week will be paid a minimum of $13 an hour starting Oct. 1. That minimum will increase to $14 an hour on Oct. 1, 2016, and to $15 an hour on Oct. 1, 2017.

UC is the first university in the country to voluntarily set a $15 minimum wage. The new rate will be higher than California’s minimum wage, which is currently $9 an hour. It will increase to $10 an hour on Jan. 1, 2016.

The plan will have minimal impact on the UCLA campus since most eligible employees already earn a rate higher than the proposed minimum.

Under the terms of the UC plan, casual-restricted appointments and any appointments under 50 percent are not eligible and do not qualify for adjustments to the plan’s minimum rates. Wage considerations for unionized workers are found in their labor contracts and accordingly, the plan does not apply to represented employees.

UC President Janet Napolitano announced the UC Fair Wage/Fair Work Plan in July to support employees and their families, and to ensure that workers being paid through a UC contract are likewise fairly compensated.

“Supporting the employees — and their families — who help make UC a leading institution is an important part of our values as a public university,” President Napolitano said.

The new minimum wage is being implemented over three years to give campuses time to plan and budget for the cost increase. The bulk of the cost will be funded by non-core funds, such as sales from self-supporting programs like bookstores and food services. These are separate from tuition and fees, state resources and other core funds that support UC’s core instructional programs.

As UC enters into new contracts or renews existing ones, the university will require contractors and subcontractors to pay their employees a wage that meets or exceeds UC’s new minimum wage.

For more information on the UC Fair Wage/Fair Work Plan, go to: http://ucnet.universityofcalifornia.edu/compensation-and-benefits/fairwage/index.html.