labor lawAdivision of labor law center

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…)

The minimum wage for tipped employees in North Carolina has been reduced to $2.13  per hour, for now, despite the increase in the state and federal minimum wage on July 24, 2008.

On July 24, both the federal and North Carolina minimum wages increased to $6.55 per hour. However, employees who earn at least $30 per month in tips can be paid less.

Until recently, the minimum wage for tipped workers in North Carolina was (more…)

On September 1, 2008, the minimum wage for New Hampshire employers will increase the second time in a matter of weeks. On July 23, 2008 the state minimum wage was $6.50 per hour. The federal minimum wage increase on July 24 meant that most New Hampshire employers had to pay $6.55 per hour.

The New Hampshire minimum wage will increase again on September 1, when the state rate goes up to (more…)

The minimum wage in South Dakota is now $6.55 per hour. On July 24, 2008 when the federal minimum wage increased from $5.85 per hour. Under state law, the South Dakota minimum wage also increases to reflect the change in the federal minimum wage.

The Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007increased the federal minimum wage from $5.15 per hour to $7.25 per hour. However, the increase didn’t go into effect all at once. Under the federal law, the minimum wage increases in three 70 cent steps. The first step went into effect 60 days after the President signed the bill into law, on July 24, 2007. The other two increases occur on the same dates in 2008 and 2009.

The next scheduled increase in the South Dakota minimum wage (more…)

The July 24, 2008 federal minimum wage increase affects employers in a number of states. Under the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007, the federal minimum wage increased by 70 cents from $5.85 to $6.55 per hour.

This increase affects most employers in states where the state minimum wage is lower than the new federal rate. Under federal law, when an employee is covered by both state and federal law, the employee is entitled to coverage under whichever law provides the greater benefit.

This means that if (more…)