Ohio
Fair Minimum Wage Amendment
State
Issue 2 - The Ohio
Fair Minimum Wage Amendment
Passed
in the November 7, 2006 General Election Ballot
On
January 1, 2007, the Ohio Fair Minimum Wage Amendment
will take effect. The Ohio
minimum wage laws are enforced by the
Ohio Department of Commerce and the process of writing the statute and
the
regulations has begun.
In
the months to come as the rules and regulations become
available from the Department of Commerce, the Chamber will provide
regular
updates to the Mahoning
Valley
community. Through
periodic e-mail notices to Chamber
members, publication in the Chamber’s Valley Business
magazine, our
professional development luncheons and this web site, we will seek to
provide
up-to-date information about the changes employers must make to bring
themselves into compliance.
Below
is a non-partisan summary of the Ohio Fair Minimum
Wage Amendment, outlining the guiding principles for the minimum wage
administration and enforcement. The
full text of the Amendment, and the Certified Ballot Language is
available on
the left as downloadable PDF files.
SUMMARY
Prepared
by the Center for National Independence in
Politics, a non-profit public interest informational organization. www.votesmart.org
Except
as provided in this section, every employer shall pay
their employees a wage rate of not less than six dollars and
eighty-five cents
per hour beginning January 1, 2007. On
the thirtieth day of each September, beginning in 2007, this state
minimum wage
rate shall be increased effective the first day of the following
January by the
rate of inflation for the twelve month period prior to that September
according
to the consumer price index or its successor index for all urban wage
earners
and clerical workers for all items as calculated by the federal
government
rounded to the nearest five cents.
Employees under the age of sixteen and employees of businesses with
annual gross receipts of two hundred fifty thousand dollars or less for
the
preceding calendar year shall be paid a wage rate of not less than that
established under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act or its successor
law. This gross revenue figure shall be
increased each year beginning January 1, 2008 by the change in the
consumer
price index or its successor index in the same manner as the required
annual adjustment
in the minimum wage rate set forth above rounded to the nearest one
thousand
dollars. An employer may pay an employee
less than, but not less than half, the minimum wage rate required by
this
section if the employer is able to demonstrate that the employee
receives tips
that combined with the wages paid by the employer are equal to or
greater than
the minimum wage rate for all hours worked.
The provisions of this section shall not apply to employees of a solely
family owned and operated business who are family members of an
owner.
The state may issue licenses to employers
authorizing payment of a wage rate below that required by this section
to
individuals with mental or physical disabilities that may otherwise
adversely
affect their opportunity for employment.
Informational
Links
Ohio
Department of Commerce, Division of Labor &
Workers Safety, Wage & Hour Bureau
www.wagehour.com.state.oh.us
