labor lawAdivision of labor law center

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…)

The Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries or BOLI recently issued a new rule clarifying regulations on meal breaks in situations where it is impossible for an employee to be relieved of all duties.

Under the Oregon meal break law, employers must provide a meal break of 30 minutes or more to any employee who works more than 6 hours. Employees who work less than 6 hours are not entitled to a meal break.

Generally, the Oregon meal break must be at least 30 minutes long, and the employee must be relieved of all duties during that period. The meal break may be unpaid.

As in several other states, Oregon permits exceptions to meal breaks (more…)

Under a new law, Iowa employers must have an employee’s written permission before mailing a paycheck.

A change in Iowa’s Wage Payment Collection Law took effect recently. The change amended the existing Iowa payment law. The new law requires that employers have a written request from an employee before wages can be sent by mail. The law applies to paychecks, but not to paystub information.

The previous law permitted employers to mail paychecks when an employee made a verbal request, or at the employer’s discretion. While requiring written permission is a best practice in the HR field, Iowa is one of the few states to make that policy law.

Even employers who have routinely paid workers by mail must now have written authorization to do so.

The amendment to Iowa Code 91A.3 was passed by the Iowa Legislature and signed by Governor Chet Culver.

According to (more…)