As January 1 rapidly approaches, it is imperative for small business owners to be aware of the changes in federal, state and local laws that become effective with the new year. Toward that end, we would advise you that the minimum wage will increase in each of the following states on January 1: Alaska, Arizona,…
Read More »Last week, the Denver City Council unanimously approved a new minimum wage increase that will bump the hourly minimum in the Mile-High City in each of the next two years. The current state minimum of $11.10 is slated to rise to an even $12/hour on January 1st, but apparently, that wasn’t good enough for the…
Read More »The Arizona legislature has made it clear to local cities and towns in the Grand Canyon State that the state will set minimum wages and won’t look kindly upon local communities trying to set their own. According to a new law that takes effect next week (on August 27), the state must calculate the cost…
Read More »Two weeks ago in Small Regular No Sugar!, we told you of a possible change of heart by the city fathers in Emeryville, California. The city council there saw the negative impact that its aggressive increases to the minimum wage were having on businesses and gave initial approval by a 3-2 vote to delaying the…
Read More »Minimum wages continue to be debated at the local level in some communities around the country. Tying the topic to the mid-term elections, Flagstaff Arizona voters rejected Proposition 418, which proposed to bring that city’s minimum wage in line with the rest of the state ($11 in 2019 & $12 in 2020), defeating a business-backed…
Read More »The appeal by Miami Beach of lower court rulings that blocked implementation of a separate local minimum wage has been accepted for review by the Florida Supreme Judicial Court. You may recall that Miami Beach passed an ordinance back in 2016 increasing the minimum wage within the city to $13.31 by 2021. The ordinance passed…
Read More »So it would seem that Chicago is intent on implementing as many policies as possible that win votes, but do little to grow and improve a region’s economy and business climate. First off, last month we noted an initiative by Chicago Alderman Ameya Pawar to begin a Universal Basic Income (UBI) pilot program won support…
Read More »In a surprising ruling on Wednesday, the US 11th Circuit Court of Appeals restored a discrimination challenge brought against the city of Birmingham Alabama by African-American fast-food workers. The suit, initially filed in 2016, alleged that the state’s mostly white legislature violated the civil rights of black workers by nullifying a new minimum wage in…
Read More »Proponents won another battle in the California city of Anaheim on Tuesday as well, when the Anaheim City Council decided to put a ballot initiative before the voters to decide on raising the city minimum wage to $18 by 2022. If voters approve the measure in November, it will only target, at least for the…
Read More »The drumbeat continues to ring out across the country with efforts ongoing to raise the minimum wage to higher levels by whatever means necessary with some, but fortunately not all of those efforts succeeding. First on the negative side of the ledger, “Raise Up Missouri” has submitted 120,000 signatures in support of a November ballot…
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