On October 14, 2015, a St. Louis judge declared the city’s planned minimum wage increase invalid because it conflicts with the state minimum wage, currently set at $7.65 per hour. In August, the City of St. Louis passed an ordinance that would have eventually raised the minimum wage to $11.00 per hour by 2018. The first increase to $8.25 per hour was set to take effect on October 15, 2015.
A coalition of business organizations and companies represented by Spencer Fane attorneys Jane Dueker, Thomas Hayde and Arthur Gregg filed suit seeking to have the ordinance declared invalid. Spencer Fane argued on behalf of our clients that the St. Louis city government did not have the power to override Missouri state law on minimum wages.
The St. Louis Circuit Court agreed, and on the eve of the first planned increase in the minimum wage, declared the city ordinance void and unenforceable. The city immediately vowed an appeal. For now, however, the minimum wage rate in St. Louis and all of Missouri remains $7.65 per hour.
If you have any questions about this ruling, please contact us. We will keep you apprised of future developments.
This blog post was drafted by Frank Neuner, a Partner in Spencer Fane’s St. Louis, MO office. For more information, visit spencerfane.com.