MINIMUM WAGE VIOLATION
Employees working in Youngstown, Ohio, or anywhere else in the United States are entitled to receive the minimum wage. If you work in Ohio, you are entitled to the state’s minimum wage, which is greater than the federal minimum wage. At the law office of Coffman Legal, LLC, our Youngstown minimum wage violation attorneys understand that there is a lot of confusion and misunderstanding amongst employers about the minimum wage and, sometimes, intentional failure to comply with the law. If you are being denied wages to which you believe you are entitled, please call our Youngstown minimum wage violation attorneys directly for the support you need.
The federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour. While some employers are under the impression that they only have to pay an employee $7.25 an hour because this is the federal law, it is important to remember that this is a legal floor, not a ceiling. In other words, states cannot pass laws that would establish the minimum wage as lower than $7.25/hour, but they can pass laws that offer employees more per hour. This is exactly what Ohio has done, and it is Ohio’s law that employers in Youngstown are bound by.
The minimum wage in Ohio for 2021 is $8.80 per hour. This is more than the federal minimum wage, obviously, and employers are required to follow Ohio’s law – not the federal law.
It’s important to note that there are some exceptions to Ohio’s minimum wage law. These include: For employees who are under 16 years of age, an employer is only required to pay the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour, not the state minimum wage. If an employer makes less than $323,000 per year, they are not subject to the state minimum wage law; instead, they will only be required to pay employees the federal minimum wage rate of $7.25/hour. For tipped employees, a different minimum wage rate exists. Employers only need to pay tipped employees $4.40 an hour if an employee makes at least the state minimum wage of $8.80 per hour when combining their hourly wage rate ($4.40/hr) + earned tips. If an employee makes less than $8.80/hour between the minimum wage rate + tips, the employer is responsible for making up the difference. These are not the only exemptions of which you should be aware. Call us if you are an independent contractor, exempt employee, farmworker, or another employee who is not receiving the state minimum wage and you have questions about your rights.
Navigating wage and hour laws can be confusing, especially when the federal law and the state law are not consistent. At the law office of Coffman Legal, LLC, our Youngstown minimum wage violation lawyers are passionate about ensuring that employees in our state get the wages to which they are entitled. Our lawyers can review your case free of charge and represent you on a contingent fee basis. Call our law firm directly today to get started.