What you need to know about the May 1 wage increase in Johnson County

Johnson County Board of Supervisors, guest columnists

On Sept. 10, 2015, the Johnson County Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a minimum wage ordinance that raised the minimum wage in Johnson County from $7.25 per hour, the level set by Iowa State Code, to $8.20 per hour, effective Nov. 1, 2015. The next increase is scheduled to go into effect on May 1, and will raise the minimum wage to $9.15 per hour.

Because this was the first time that a local government in Iowa had raised the minimum wage, our ordinance received a lot of publicity. However, we have found that there are still employers and workers who do not know about the ordinance or mistakenly believe it does not apply to them. We want to get the word out so that people know about the next increase and are informed of their rights and responsibilities.

The ordinance applies to those who work in Johnson County regardless of the physical location, or 'home office,” of the employer. The communities of Solon, Oxford, Swisher and Shueyville have passed their own ordinances setting the minimum wage in their communities at the state level of $7.25. Tiffin is in the process of considering an ordinance that sets a lower wage for teen workers. Employees working in all other parts of Johnson County for more than two hours during a two-week period must be paid the Johnson County wage for those hours.

We have been asked if the ordinance applies to particular classes of employees, such as child care providers, agricultural workers, etc. In most cases, we refer people to the Iowa Division of Labor. The Johnson County ordinance is written so that it mirrors Iowa law. In other words, if workers are covered by the state minimum wage statute, they are covered by our ordinance. The Division of Labor can be reached at (800) 562-4692.

The Johnson County website (www.johnson-county.com) has a number of resources for those with questions about the ordinance, including a FAQ sheet, a copy of the ordinance and an informational poster about the minimum wage. Since the state requires the posting of the Division of Labor's poster about the State minimum wage, employers have also asked whether they are required to display the County poster. The Johnson County ordinance does not require any specific posting, but we recommend that employers use our poster so that employees have access to accurate information for our area.

We appreciate the many employers who have supported the increasing the minimum wage ordinance and the good faith that area businesses have shown in implementing the ordinance. To date, the response that we have received from the community has been overwhelmingly positive. Please help us get the word out about the increase that will take place on May 1. Contact our office if we can assist in answering any of your questions.

' Mike Carberry, Lisa Green-Douglass, Pat Harney, Janelle Rettig and Rod Sullivan are members of the Johnson County Board of Supervisors. Comments: (319) 356-6000 or sups@co.johnson.ia.us