Colorado Minimum Wage May Drop

By Ted Olsen

Due to a state constitutional amendment approved by the voters, Colorado's current minimum wage ($7.28/hour) is higher than the current federal minimum wage ($7.25).  However, the Colorado Division of Labor has proposed that the state minimum wage be cut, effective January 1, 2010, to $7.24/hour due to the region's negative inflation rate.  The public has been invited to comment on the proposal, which is included in proposed Minimum Wage Order Number 26.

Article XVIII, Section 15 of the Colorado Constitution provides for the annual adjustment of the state minimum wage. Since the constitutional enactment, the state minimum wage has consistently been ratcheted up, and has been set above the Fair Labor Standards Act minimum wage levels.  The latest proposal would mark the first occasion when the Colorado minimum wage would be reduced under the constitutional provision. 

A public hearing on the proposal will be held on November 6, 2009, at 9:30 a.m., at the offices of the Colorado Division of Labor, at 633 Seventeenth Street, Suite 200, Denver, CO 80202.  The Division will accept comments on the proposal at any time prior to the hearing.  Comments may be sent by mail, fax (303-318-8400) or e-mail (Amanda.Neal@state.co.us). Minimum Wage Order Number 26 will be available at least five days before the November 6 hearing at the Division of Labor's offices, or at http://www.coworkforce.com/lab/minimumwage.asp.

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© 2009 Sherman & Howard L.L.C.                                                 October 12, 2009