labor lawAdivision of labor law center

Florida employers must pay the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour in 2010. This rate has been in effect since July 24, 2009, and will continue unchanged throughout 2010.

Technically the 2010 Florida minimum wage will remain at $7.21 per hour. However, by law, Florida employers are required to pay the federal minimum wage when it is higher.

When an employer is covered by both the federal and state minimum wage, the employee is entitled to protection under whichever law provides the greater benefit. In this case, the federal minimum wage of $7.25 is higher.

Many states have minimum wage laws that apply to employers too small to be covered by the federal minimum wage. Florida does not. The state minimum wage applies to every employee covered by the federal minimum wage.

Tipped employees in Florida must be paid at least $4.23 per hour. If the employee does not average at least $3.02 per hour in tips over the payroll week, the employer must pay the difference in direct wages. This ensures that tipped employees always earn at least the minimum wage of $7.25 per hour when tips and wages are combined.

Florida voters passed the state minimum wage on November 2, 2004. At that time, citizens were frustrated with a federal minimum wage of $5.15 per hour that had (more…)

The Ohio minimum wage will remain stable at $7.30 per hour in 2010. The minimum wage in the Buckeye State remains 5 cents higher than the federal minimum wage at $7.25. Employers who are covered by both the state and federal minimum wages must pay the higher of the two.

The 2010 Ohio tipped minimum wage will remain at $3.65 per hour. If a tipped employee does not average at least $3.65 per hour over the payroll week, the employer must pay the difference as wages.

The Ohio minimum wage applies to employers with more than $267,000 in gross revenue during the year. All employers must display a current Ohio minimum wage poster.

Under an amendment to the Ohio constitution passed by voters in November 2006, the Ohio minimum wage is increased each year based on the rate of inflation. In the 12 months from September 1, 2008 to August 31, 2009 the rate of inflation declined 0.2 percent, according to a memo released by the Ohio Department of Commerce.

The minimum wage is based on the CPI or Consumer Price Index for urban wage earners and clerical workers.

By statute, the Ohio minimum wage cannot (more…)

The Florida minimum wage will increase by 3 cents on July 24, 2009.

Many employers wonder what sparks such a change, since it is an administrative hassle for employers and provides few benefits for workers. The answer is simple. Under the Florida minimum wage statute, the state minimum wage cannot be lower than the federal minimum wage.

Currently, the Florida minimum wage is $7.21 per hour. On July 24, 2009 the federal minimum wage increases to $7.25 per hour. Under a little-known provision of the Florida minimum wage statute, the state rate will increase at the same time –  even though the difference is only 3 cents.

Of course, this change has a number of ramifications for Florida employers. For one thing, they must update their state and federal minimum wage posters. By law, employers must prominently display accurate, up-to-date minimum wage posters in the workplace.

The Florida minimum wage is not the only one changing this month. On July 1, 2009, Illinois and two other states increased their minimum wage. Several other states will increase their minimum wage rates in July. Thirteen states, including South Dakota, Virginia, Utah, (more…)

On July 1, 2009 the Illinois minimum wage will increase from $7.75 to $8.00 per hour.

Many employers complain that this puts the Illinois minimum wage the highest in the nation – but they are very wrong. In fact, the new rate puts Illinois in a four-way tie for the fourth highest minimum wage, with California, Massachusetts, and Connecticut.

The nation’s highest minimum wage is in Washington, at $8.55 per hour. The second highest minimum wage is in Oregon, at $8.40 per hour.  The Vermont minimum wage is currently $8.06 per hour. All three of those states – unlike Illinois – have annual cost-of-living increases.

On July 1, the Illinois minimum wage will become $8 an hour, a boost of 25 cents from the previous hourly rate of $7.75.

Minimum wage increases come on July 1 of the year in Illinois, while the federal rate changes on July 24. The 2009 federal minimum wage increase to $7.25 per hour

In 2010, the Illinois rate goes up another 25 cents an hour, bringing it to $8.25.

In 2003, the minimum wage in Illinois went from $5.15 to $5.50 an hour, (more…)

 On July 24, 2009 the Maryland minimum wage increases from $6.55 to $7.25 per hour, along with the federal minimum wage. That is an increase of 70 cents, and an increase of $2.10 in just over two years.

By statute, when the federal minimum wage increases, the Maryland minimum wage does so, as well.

The other states on the same schedule are Nebraska, Kentucky, Idaho, Indiana, North Carolina, North and South Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas, Virginia, and Utah.

State minimum wage laws vary widely and dramatically, which is one reason why employers should always have an updated state minimum wage poster displayed, as the law requires.

More than half of the states in the U.S. have rates that are above the federal minimum. The rest are either equal to or below the federal level. Some states have a cost of living increase and some do not.

Five states do not have minimum wages. They are Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, and South Carolina. Employers in those states who are not covered by federal minimum wage laws could legally pay their workers 10 cents an hour. Whether or not they would find anyone willing to work for that rate is another matter.

Among the states that have established minimum wage laws, the hourly rates vary by almost $6 an hour. At the high end of the chart is Washington State, with a minimum of $8.55 hourly. At the very bottom is Kansas, with a pay rate of $2.65 an hour. The difference between the two states is $5.90 an hour.

In second place is Oregon, at $8.40. The Vermont minimum wage is (more…)