labor lawAdivision of labor law center

On January 1, 2009 the Colorado minimum wage increased to $7.28 per hour. The hike from $7.02 hourly represents a 26 cents per hour increase.  The new minimum wage tracks the region’s inflation rate.

According to the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment , the minimum wage must be annually adjusted for inflation. In the Denver-Boulder-Greeley area of Colorado, the Consumer Price Index (or CPI) showed an increase of 3.7%. As a result, the minimum wage showed a corresponding increase.

Tracking the inflation rate is part of Colorado law. Under Article XVIII, Section 15 of the Colorado Constitution, employers are required to adjust the pay of their minimum-wage employees every year to match the inflation rate. The law was last amended in 2006.

Donald J. Mares, Colorado’s Executive Director of Labor as well as the top officer of the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, published the new minimum wage figures recently.

Because the prices of food and other commodities have risen dramatically, (more…)

Employers have already been warned that the state minimum wage will increase with the new year in Oregon, Washington, Florida, New Mexico, Vermont, Colorado, Arizona, Missouri, Montana, Ohio and Connecticut.

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 labor 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…)

Minimum wage changes in 2009 will require every employer in the nation to update his or her labor law posters.

On January 1, 2009 eleven states will increase the minimum wage. The majority of these states implement annual cost-of-living increases in the state minimum wage.

The biggest minimum wage increase in the nation this January is $1.00 per hour, in New Mexico. This changes the New Mexico minimum wage from $6.50 to $7.50 per hour. This is a statutory change, not a cost of living change.

The Washington state minimum wage remains the highest in 2009, increasing by 48 cents from $8.07 to $8.55 per hour. The Oregon minimum wage is second, increasing by 45 cents from $7.95 to $8.40 per hour. Third place goes to Vermont, where the minimum wage increases by 38 cents from $7.68 to $8.06 per hour.

There is a 3-way tie for fourth place, between Massachusetts, Connecticut and California. That’s due to a 35 cent increase raising the Connecticut minimum wage from $7.65 to $8.00 per hour.

Massachusetts and California have minimum wages of $8.00 per hour that do not increase in 2009. It’s worth noting that when the Massachusetts and California (more…)

Employers should take a few minutes to update their 2009 minimum wage posters.

Every employer is required by law to display a number of labor law posters, including those on the federal and state minimum wage. These posters must be updated each time the law is changed.

The best way for employers to keep labor law posters updated, is to subscribe to a compliance protection plan. For a nominal fee, these services will send employers updated posters whenever they are necessary. This service provides high-quality, durable, easy-to-read posters.  

Employers should have updated their federal minimum wage posters federal minimum wage posters in July 2008, when the rate went from $5.85 to $6.55 per hour. The federal minimum wage will increase again on July 24, 2009, requiring employers to update their posters.

A number of states will increase the minimum wage on January 1, 2009. Some states (more…)

A new Colorado law requires employers to make accommodations for nursing mothers in the workplace.

Under the new law, statute 8-13 5-104 CRS, both public and private employers must provide reasonable unpaid break time or permit an employee to use paid (more…)