Connecticut Minimum Wage Increase

January 12th, 2009 Posted by Derrick

The Connecticut minimum wage went up from $7.65 an hour to $8.00 an hour on January 1, 2009. That represents a hike of 35 cents per hour.

 

In Connecticut, the is not linked to increases in the cost of living, as it is in some other states. Instead, it is voted as part of state law.

 

Some of the states where the follows the inflation rate are Washington, Oregon, , and Florida.  By contrast, Mexico, like Connecticut, increases its minimum wage rate by statute. In Mexico, the state minimum wage increased from $6.50 to $7.50 an hour on January 1, 2009, a hike of $1 per hour – by far the highest of the year.

 

As in many other states, administrative, executive, and professional employees are exempt under the Connecticut state overtime and minimum wage laws. The relevant law in this case is Section 31-60-14,15,16 of the Administrative Regulations.

 

There is also an exception under the for minors working in agriculture or government. They are entitled to a reduced minimum wage that amounts to $6.80 per hour. In other words, they are only entitled to 85% of the state’s minimum wage. Minors working (more…)

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2009 Missouri Minimum Wage

January 5th, 2009 Posted by Derrick

 Missouri law (Section 290.502.2) requires that the ’s must be adjusted every year based on the latest cost of living.

 

In charge of making that change is the Director of the and Industrial Relations. Director Todd Smith said that in August of 2008, the predicted an increase of 40 cents for 2009/

 

“A review of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for July 2008 confirms the rate will increase to $7.05 effective January 1, 2009,” he predicted at the time.

 

That prediction has become a reality. The , pegged to the cost of living, went up precisely 40 cents on January 1, 2009, increasing from $6.65 to $7.05 an hour. According to the Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, last year’s increase was a mere 15 cents per hour. The much higher rise in the cost of living has driven the dramatic increase in the Missouri minimum wage rate.

 

Those businesses that earn less than a half-million dollars annually (more…)

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More 2009 Minimum Wage Changes

December 29th, 2008 Posted by Derrick

Employers have already been warned that the will increase with the new year in Oregon, , Florida, , Vermont, , Arizona, Missouri, , Ohio and .

 

However, employers in other states also have to contend with minimum wage increases this year.

 

Even if an employer has no minimum wage employees, each increase means the employer must update his or her minimum wage posters. By law, employers are required to display a variety of law posters prominently in the workplace. Failure to do so can result in fines, penalties and citations.

 

On July 1, 2009 the Illinois minimum wage will increase by 50 cents, from $7.50 to $8.00 per hour. This is the final step in a 3-tiered increase introduced by the now-infamous (more…)

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New 2009 FMLA Tracking Rules

December 22nd, 2008 Posted by Derrick

A significant change to the regulations affects how employers must track leave. This is the fourth in a continuing series of articles on the FMLA regulations issued by the U.S. Department of Labor, which go into effect  on January 16, 2009.

 

Under the old regulations, an had to track FMLA leave using the shortest period of time that their payroll system could track. If the payroll system rounded to the quarter-hour, the was required to permit the to use 45 minutes of FMLA leave, or 2.25 hours of FMLA leave, on a particular day.

 

The new FMLA regulations in their entirety can be found in the 201 pages of the November .

 

Under the 2009 regulations, employers may track FMLA leave using the shortest increment that the employer uses to track other forms of leave, such as (more…)

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Employers Limit Liability at Holiday Parties

December 11th, 2008 Posted by Derrick

Traditional can be a major liability risk for any , whether they are company-sponsored or of employees.

 

Employers who serve alcohol at company-sponsored events may be liable, if an chooses to drive under the influence and causes an accident, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Some companies have been held liable for fatal accidents when the courts ruled that employees attended the parties within the scope of their employment.

 

When parties are held on work premises, or during work hours, an employee who is injured may be eligible for ’ compensation. This is true whether the is officially sanctioned or a spontaneous gathering of coworkers.

 

In one extreme example, a Chicago-area boutique employee suffered a spinal injury at a holiday party in a local bar. The employee was dancing with her boss’ husband when the inebriated man tried to lift her off the floor and twirl her around. He dropped the employee, who hit her head on the floor. Because the accident occurred at a company-sponsored event, the court ruled that it was “within the scope of employment” and the worker collected a multi-million-dollar workers’ comp settlement.

 

 According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration or , each year employers pay (more…)

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