Just when we thought it was over, Missouri’s Legislature makes a surprise. Starting August 28, 2017, the minimum wage rate in the City of St. Louis will drop from $10.00 per hour to $7.70 per hour. A house bill (1194) preempting local minimum wages in the state has been passed. Political subdivisions are prohibited from requiring an employer to provide an employee with a minimum wage rate or employment benefits that exceed state laws, rules or regulations. Missouri’s Governor Eric Greitens had already made it clear that he would allow the bill to become law without his signature. In the state of Missouri, a bill automatically comes into effect without the governor’s signature if the governor doesn’t veto it.
To summarize, the City of St. Louis originally passed a minimum wage law (Ordinance 70078) almost two years ago in 2015. That same year, a Circuit Court Judge blocked the local law for conflicting with the state’s minimum wage rate. Then on May 5, 2017, the minimum wage rate was increased when Missouri’s Supreme Court reversed the Circuit Court’s decision. The minimum wage rate was scheduled to increase once again to $11.00 per hour in January.
Employers in St. Louis must continue to comply with the Ordinance until the new law goes into effect.