Rhode Island’s Governor, Lincoln Chafee, has signed a minimum wage bill that increases the state’s minimum wage rate for hourly workers. Rhode Island’s current minimum wage of $7.75 went into effect in January 2013, also a result of enacted legislation. The 25 cent per hour jump puts Rhode Island just under Vermont with a minimum wage rate of $8.60 and Connecticut at $8.25 per hour. If Massachusetts does not enact minimum wage legislation both of these New England states will be at the $8.00 per hour mark. The federal minimum wage, which increased in 2009, sits at only $7.25 per hour.
Rhode Island’s Senator Lynch states “not only will the increase to $8.00 help those at the bottom of the pay scale make a little more as they struggle to make ends meet, the timing of the increase – at the beginning of the calendar year – will ensure that businesses have ample time between now and then to prepare to implement the new rate”.
The Rhode Island All-On-One poster will be updated for the minimum wage increase. Please visit Compliance Poster Company’s (CPC) homepage at http://www.complianceposter.com/ to sign up for E-Compliance Alerts to be notified of the update. When you visit our homepage scroll down near the bottom and on the left hand side you will see the fields where you can fill in your company and contact email info to be alerted when changes take place in your state. Also don’t forget to follow CPC on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. We actively engage in social media and encourage you to participate!
Got questions about your state? How about legislative development concerns? Give us a call at 800.817.7678. to speak to a Compliance Advisor for industry-specific labor law solutions and state or federal-specific legislative news.