labor lawAdivision of labor law center

The Washington state minimum wage will increase to $8.55 per hour on January 1, 2009. The state Department of Labor and Industries or L& I recalculates the minimum wage each year in September as required by state Initiative 688, approved by Washington voters in 1998.

The Washington state minimum wage is adjusted each year based on the federal Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers or CPI-W during the 12 months ending on August 31. The Consumer Price Index is a national measure of the cost of goods and services required for daily life. During the 12-month period ending in August 2008, the CPI increased a whopping 5.9%. For comparison, the increase in the prior year was 1.8%, which led to an increase of 14 cents per hour in the Washington minimum wage.

This 48-cent increase ensures that the Washington minimum wage (more…)

According to the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, minors under the age of 16 cannot legally be employed on a commercial fishing boat in the state. There is an exception under the law, however, for a minor working on a boat that is owned and operated by a parent.

Alaska, which traditionally has had a shortage of skilled labor in some areas, has fewer restrictions on child labor than many other states.

Recently, a fatal accident (more…)

The Alabama Department of Labor recently took the opportunity to remind employers that with school in session, new regulations apply to those who employee workers under the age of 19.

The regulations take effect on the first day of school, so the date will be slightly different in various areas.

All minors under 18 must have work permits to be legally employed. Permits are issued at all city and county Boards of Education, and at many high schools in the state. Many private schools also issue permits.

According to the Alabama Department of Labor, violations to the state child labor laws (more…)

The US Department of Labor recently awarded $250,000 to develop strategic economic growth plans for Kentucky and Tennessee. Most of the area affected is in the extreme western tip of Kentucky.

“This $250,000 grant to the West Kentucky Workforce Investment Board will boost efforts to expand the region’s economy and increase job opportunities for Kentucky workers,” said U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao.

The primary focus of the grant is the (more…)

The minimum wage in the District of Columbia will climb 55 cents, from $7.00 to $7.55 per hour on July 24, 2008.

That’s because D.C. law requires that the minimum wage be $1 per hour more than the federal minimum wage. When the federal minimum wage increases from $5.85 to $6.55 in July, it will spark an increase in the D.C. minimum wage.

Up to a dozen states will increase the minimum wage to the same level as the federal minimum wage, including Virginia, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and North Dakota. The increase in the District of Columbia is the highest, however.

This increase is somewhat controversial (more…)