What is the minimum wage in Los Angeles, California?

What Is the Minimum Wage in Los Angeles, California?

• Answer:

  Minimum wage in the United States is determined on a state-by-state basis with exceptions in certain cities and counties that instate higher standards than elsewhere. Los Angeles shares the same minimum wage as the rest of California -- $8 an hour. State and Federal Minimum Wage California's 2007 Minimum Wage Order and the federal Fair Labor Standards Act of 2007 respectively detail state and federal minimum wage standards. Both standards apply to almost all employees; the one more beneficial to the employee is the standard used. Though the federal minimum wage is $7.25, California employees covered under the Minimum Wage Order receive at least $8. Overtime The U.S. Department of Labor describes the overtime minimum wage in California as $12 if the employee works more than eight hours and $16 if the employee works more than 12 hours in the same workday. The minimum wage is $12 if the employee has already worked 40 hours in the workweek. In situations where the employee is working a seventh workday in the same workweek, the minimum wage is $12 in the first eight hours and $16 if the employee works more than eight hours. Exemptions Some employees are not covered under either the Fair Labor Standards Act or the Minimum Wage Order, while others receive a different minimum wage under California's standards. Employees exempted from receiving a minimum wage are few in California and are listed in the Minimum Wage Order as being outside salespersons and the parents, spouses or children of employers. Employees who receive a different minimum wage include those in their initial learning period, who receive no less than 85 percent of the usual standard, and sheepherders, who receive a minimum of $1,200 a month. Common Inquiries Child employees in California receive the same minimum wage as their adult counterparts regardless of their age. Restaurant servers and other employees who receive tips do not count those amounts against their minimum wage. Such employees must be paid the same $8 regardless of what they receive in tips. Meals and lodging cannot be deducted from minimum wages unless a written agreement exists; there are strict limits on how much can be deducted for specific services. See the Industrial Welfare Commission's additional wage orders (see Resources) for further clarification on California standards for specific industries.