Tag Archive for: Minimum Wage

New Jersey 2015 Minimum Wage Increase

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The New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development announced a 2015 minimum wage increase to $8.38 per hour effective January 1, 2015.

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The New Jersey Minimum Wage Advisory Commission reviews the rate annually to determine if the amount is adequate for employees to meet the changes in cost of living. The State stops short, however, of “indexing” the rate automatically to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) as ten other U.S. state do, such as Arizona. Governor Chris Christie has not supported any automatic adjustments to the New Jersey minimum wage rate, vetoing efforts to index the New Jersey minimum wage.

Governor Christie explains that he is tired of talking about minimum wage, because he wants to focus on creating higher-wage jobs.

New Jersey Tipped Workers

The New Jersey minimum wage rate includes a “tipping allowance”, meaning that food servers and other occupations that typically earn tips as a normal part of their duties must earn at least the Federal minimum wage rate for tipped workers, which is $2.13 per hour. However, if a tipped employee earns less than the New Jersey State minimum wage, employers must make up any difference in the base wage and tips so that the tipped worker earns at least the New Jersey minimum wage rate.

The New Jersey legislature is considering a Bill (A857) that would raise the State’s base wage rate for tipped workers to $5.70 per hour by the end of 2015.

New Jersey 2015 Minimum Wage Poster

New Jersey employers must display the New Jersey State Wage and Hour Law Abstract in a conspicuous location. The posting and other postings are included in the GovDocs New Jersey Poster Compliance Package. Employers can save 20% on all labor law poster purchases using GovDocs coupon code 2015MIN.

The New Jersey Compliance Poster Package includes:

  • Unemployment and Disability Insurance
  • State Wage and Hour Abstract
  • Schedule of Hours for Minors
  • Child Labor Law Abstract
  • Discrimination in Employment
  • Payment of Wages
  • Notice (Workers’ Compensation)
  • Family Leave Act
  • Conscientious Employee Protection Act (Whistleblower)
  • Smoking Prohibited
  • Family Leave Insurance
  • Employer Obligation to Maintain and Report Records
  • SAFE Act
  • Gender Inequity
  • Gender Inequity (Spanish)

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Arizona 2015 Minimum Wage Increase

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The Industrial Commission of Arizona (ICA) announced an increase of Arizona’s minimum wage to $8.05 per hour effective January 1, 2015. The $0.15 raise is a 1.9 percent increase over the 2014 rate of $7.90 per hour affecting more than 24,000 Arizona minimum wage workers.

The ICA administers and enforces the State’s minimum wage

Arizona Tipped Workers Minimum Wage

Employees who are tipped earn a base rate of $5.05 per hour thanks to a $3 tip credit.

Tipped workers include people who customarily receives tips, typically in the restaurant, hospitality, and personal services industries:

  • Food servers
  • Bussers
  • Bartenders
  • Bellhops / Valets
  • Car wash attendants
  • Hairdressers / Barbers

Arizona Annual Minimum Wage Calculation

Arizona’s minimum wage can be adjusted annually based on increases in the cost of living based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Any adjustments to the Arizona minimum wage are rounded to the nearest nickel (five-cent increments).

Arizona is one of 10 states in the U.S. that indexes the minimum wage to adjust to the cost of living:

  • Arizona
  • Colorado
  • Florida
  • Missouri
  • Montana
  • Nevada
  • Ohio
  • Oregon
  • Vermont
  • Washington

History of Arizona Minimum Wage

The State enacted the Arizona Minimum Wage Act (Proposition 202) in 2006 after a successful ballot measure. The table below shows Arizona’s minimum wage rates since 2006 and the percentage of increase for each year, if any.

 

Year Minimum Wage % Change
2006 $5.15* NA
2007 $6.75 31.068%
2008 $6.90 2.222%
2009 $7.25 5.072%
2010 $7.25 0.000%
2011 $7.35 1.379%
2012 $7.65 4.082%
2013 $7.80 1.961%
2014 $7.90 1.282%
2015 $8.05 1.899%

*Pre-indexed rate.

Arizona Minimum Wage Poster

Arizona employers are required to display the most current Arizona Minimum Wage Poster, which is included as part of GovDocs’ Arizona Workplace Poster Packages, along with other required postings:

  • Unemployment Compensation
  • Workers’ Compensation Insurance (Memo)
  • Employee Safety & Health Protection
  • Prohibition of Discrimination
  • Work Exposure to Bodily Fluids
  • Constructive Discharge
  • Minimum Wage
  • No Smoking Poster
  • E-Verify
  • Right to Work
  • Work Exposure to MRSA, Spinal Meningitis, or TB

Arizona employers can save 20% off all workplace poster purchases using GovDocs coupon code 2015MIN.

Ohio 2015 Minimum Wage Increase Announced

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The Ohio Department of Commerce announced the State’s 2015 minimum wage rate of $8.10 for non-tipped workers, which is effective January 1, 2015.

Ohio’s 2015 minimum wage gives low-wage earners an hourly boost of 15 cents over the 2014 rate of $7.95.

What is the Minimum Wage for Non-Tipped Workers in Ohio?

Ohio’s minimum wage rate for tipped employees increased to $4.05 per hour.

Which Employers are Required to Pay the Minimum Wage?

Ohio employers with annual gross receipts of more than $297,000 per year are required to pay employees at least the minimum wage.

Why Does the Ohio Minimum Wage Change So Often?

The Ohio minimum wage is adjusted annually to reflect fluctuations in the Consumer Price Index (CPI).

The 2015 minimum wage rate represents an 18 percent increase over the 2007 rate after voters amended the State Constitution (Issue 2) to index the minimum wage, meaning that if inflation increases, the rate will adjust to help offset the effect on low-wage workers.

Ohio minimum-wage workers have received an average increase of 16 cents each year in the past eight years to compensate for the rate of inflation.

Ohio Minimum Wage Poster

GovDocs provides the Ohio Minimum Wage posting and other posting required for Ohio workplaces as part of the GovDocs Ohio Workplace Poster Packages, which includes:

  • Unemployment Insurance
  • Minimum Wage
  • Minor Labor Law
  • Ohio Fair Employment Practices Law
  • Rebuttable Presumption Law
  • No Smoking

Ohio employers can save 20% off all workplace posters using the GovDocs coupon code 2015MIN.

 

Oregon’s 2015 Minimum Wage Increase Announced

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Oregon’s Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) announced a 15-cent increase to the State minimum wage. The 1.6 percent increase brings the Oregon minimum wage to $9.25 an hour beginning Jan. 1, 2015.

According to Oregon Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian, the wage increase will affect eight percent of Oregon’s workforce (approximately 141,000 workers). The chart below reflects changes to Oregon’s minimum wage based on the CPI adjustments since 2002 when voters passed an initiative to calculate the minimum wage rate based on adjustments to the Consumer Price Index (CPI).

Oregon Minimum Wage Posting Requirement

The revised minimum wage poster is required for all employers in Oregon to display in a conspicuous location by the January 1, 2015 effective date. GovDocs includes this posting along with others required by the State of Oregon as part of the GovDocs Oregon Poster Compliance Packages, which include:

  • Minimum Wage
  • Safety & Health Protection on the Job
  • Family Leave
  • No Smoking
  • Domestic Violence, Harassment, Sexual Assault or Stalking (DVHSAS)

 

How Do Minimum Wage Increases Affect the Economy?

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