Employer Law Blog

On August 28, 2015, St. Louis Mayor Slay signed a bill, approved by the St. Louis Board of Aldermen, into law as Ordinance 70078 that would have raised the minimum wage in St. Louis City from the current rate of $7.65 per hour. Ordinance 70078 was set to increase the current minimum wage to $8.25 per hour on October 15, 2015, with additional increases taking place on a yearly basis - $9.00 on January 1, 2016, $10.00 in 2017, and $11.00 on January 1, 2018. In 2019 the ordinance provided for increases to the minimum wage based on the rate of inflation. The ordinance states its purpose was “for the preservation of public peace, health and safety.” It expressly identified the intent to address local concerns for the health, safety, and welfare of the citizens of the City of St. Louis.

As we have previously reported, the EEOC has taken an adversarial stance towards employers that impose negative consequences on employees who do not take advantage of wellness program initiatives. While the Affordable Care Act specifically authorized employers to utilize and implement wellness program initiatives in order to encourage healthy lifestyle choices by its employees, the EEOC has reacted by suing employers contending that such initiatives violate the ADA prohibitions on medical inquiries or discrimination against individuals because of their disabilities.

On July 31, 2014, President Obama issued the Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Executive Order which is intended to ensure that all federal contractors and subcontractors are “responsible sources who comply with labor laws.” In his Executive Order, President Obama emphasized that “labor laws are designed to promote safe, healthy, fair and effective workplaces” and directed all federal department and agencies to “identify and work with contractors with track records of compliance.” The Executive Order will apply to any future federal contracts where the value of supplies or services exceeds $500,000.