Beginning January 1, 2025, the City of St. Paul, Minnesota’s Wage Theft Ordinance went into effect. The Ordinance largely incorporates the State of Minnesota’s existing wage theft legislation. However, similar to the Minneapolis Wage Theft Prevention Ordinance, effective in 2020, the City of St. Paul’s new Ordinance contains additional employer obligations for employers with employees
State Wage and Hour Laws
Proposed Rule Would End Subminimum Wage for Employees with Disabilities
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has issued a proposed rule to end the practice of paying subminimum wages to certain workers with disabilities.
The proposed rule, announced December 3, 2024, marks the first rulemaking related to the subminimum wage in 35 years, although the regulation had been included in the DOL’s long-term regulatory agenda…
California Supreme Court Issues Opinion on “Hours Worked”
In its recent opinion in Huerta v. CSI Electrical Contractors, the California Supreme Court addressed three inquiries posed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit addressing “hours worked” within the context of the California Labor Code and several state wage orders:
- Is time spent on an employer’s premises in a personal vehicle
Oregon Child Support Reporting Requirements Soon Will Include Employer Payments to Independent Contractors
Recently enacted Oregon Senate Bill (SB) 184 soon will require employers to include independent contractors in their child support reporting requirements to the Oregon Division of Child Support of the Department of Justice. Currently, the reporting requirements apply only to an employer’s employees but, for all new engagements or re-engagements entered into on or after…
Michigan Supreme Court to Hear State’s Minimum Wage and Paid Sick Leave Laws Battle
In 2018, the Michigan legislature adopted, and then within the same legislative session amended, two voter-approved ballot initiatives, one to significantly raised Michigan’s minimum wage and the other to expand employer obligations to provide paid sick leave. In 2022, the Michigan Court of Claims held that the legislature’s actions violated the Michigan Constitution and ordered…
First D.C. Tip Credit Elimination Act Measures Soon to Become Effective
Beginning May 1, 2023, the hourly minimum wage for tipped employees in the District of Columbia will increase from $5.35 to $6.00. This increase is the first step in the eventual elimination of the tip credit altogether in the District.
The next phase will occur on July 1, 2023, when the base hourly minimum wage…
2022 State Elections Result in Several Minimum Wage Changes
During the November 2022 elections, voters in several locations across the country approved minimum wage increases. Most notably:
- District of Columbia voters passed the Tip Credit Elimination Act, which, by 2027, will result in the elimination of the tip credit in the District and require employers to pay tipped employees the full minimum wage.
- Voters
Washington Updates Guidance On 2023 Pay Transparency Requirements
Washington State’s Department of Labor and Industries recently released a draft administrative policy with updated guidance on the modified pay transparency requirements beginning January 1, 2023. This draft policy aims to clarify issues raised by stakeholders in the feedback process for the development of the final administrative policy. The draft policy gives some new insight…
Connecticut’s Pandemic “Hero Pay” Program Goes Into Effect
Private-sector essential employees who worked in Connecticut during the pandemic may receive up to $1,000 in premium pay (i.e., “hero pay”), through a $30 million fund established under the state budget approved by the General Assembly and Governor Ned Lamont.
To be eligible, workers must have earned less than $150,000 annually; must have…
Rhode Island Enacts Tip Law, Mirroring Aspects of the FLSA
Rhode Island has joined the list of states adopting laws governing the payment of tips. House Bill (HB) 7510, which is codified as Public Law 2022-245, mirrors nearly all tip-related aspects of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and its regulations. The law became effective on June 28, 2022.
Under the law, tips…