EMPLOYMENT LAW NEWS

Tucson Minimum Wage Increase

By Kris Janisch
Published March 22, 2022

Tucson Minimum Wage Increase

Minimum wage in Tucson, Ariz., will increase on April 1, 2022, but future increases will take place on Jan. 1 each year.

Tucson minimum wage increases to $13 on April 1, 2022.

The Arizona city’s rate will eventually reach $15 in 2025, following a successful November 2021 ballot measure.

Approximately 60 percent of voters favored the increase, and an estimated 85,000 of the city’s residents will a wage increase because of the ballot measure. The population of Tucson, the second-largest city in Arizona, is about 542,000.

Employers will be required to display and associated labor law posting, but the city had yet to release it as of March 21. The posting will be available before April 1.

Tucson Minimum Wage

Minimum wage in Tucson, Ariz., will increase on April 1, 2022, but future increases will take place on Jan. 1 each year, as is the case in many other jurisdictions in the U.S.

The schedule for future increases is:

  • 1, 2023 – $13.50
  • 1, 2024 – $14
  • 1, 2025 – $15

After 2025, increases will be tied to the Consumer Price Index.

Meanwhile, employers may take a tip credit of no more than $3 for employees who regularly receive tips. The city’s definition of tipped employee “essentially matches” that found under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act.

Wage theft whitepaperNotably, minimum wage in Tucson also includes some predictive scheduling provisions. Large employers, those with 26 or more employees, must pay at least three hours of minimum wage compensation in certain situations:

  • An employee is scheduled to work at least three hours the employee reports for work; the employee is able to work the entire shift and the employer engages the employee for less than three hours
  • An employee is scheduled to work at least three hours and the employer cancels the employee’s shift with less than 24 hours’ notice

The law also includes anti-retaliation language and fines (and repayment) for violations.

Arizona Minimum Wage

At the state level, Arizona is one of several with a minimum wage above the federal level. The state’s rate as of Jan. 1, 2022, is $12.80, and $9.80 for tipped employees. Indexing is in effect.

Lastly, employers should note that Flagstaff, Ariz., also has its own rate, which is $15.50 and $13 for tipped employees as of Jan. 1, 2022.

Minimum Wage Management. Simplified.

Minimum Wage Across the U.S.

There have been a fair number of ballot measures related to employment law in recent years, notably the decision from Florida voters that increased minimum wage twice in 2021.

Dozens of counties and cities have set their own minimum wage rates, with many breaching the $15 mark. And in places like California, employers have to be extra cautious to ensure they are paying the correct rates.

Also, indexing has become more common following years of scheduled increases, making the process of tracking and applying minimum wage rates all the more complex.

How Many States Have a $15 Minimum Wage?

Conclusion

It is always difficult to keep up with the everchanging minimum wage laws across the country. And it’s especially challenging when they don’t update at the beginning or middle of the year, as is also the case with minimum wage in Howard County, Md.

Employers with locations in Tucson should make sure they have the correct rates for employees starting April 1, 2022. Plus, the predictive scheduling portions of the law also warrant examination.

This Employment Law News blog is intended for market awareness only, it is not to be used for legal advice or counsel.

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