On November 15, 2021, the West Hollywood city council enacted an ordinance that establishes a local minimum wage, and requires employers to provide paid and unpaid leave benefits. On May 16, 2022, the city council approved amendments to the ordinance and published Administrative Regulations (637879708613130000 (weho.org)) regarding the law, discussed below.

The ordinance’s minimum wage and leave benefits are restricted to only hourly, non-exempt, employees. There are also exceptions available for unionized employees subject to a collective bargaining agreement.

Minimum Wage Requirements

The ordinance includes minimum wage increases for regular employees and employees who work for hotels.

The minimum wage requirements for hotel employers (defined as a person who owns, controls, or operates a hotel in West Hollywood) took effect on January 1, 2022. For other covered employers, the minimum wage will take effect July 1, 2022.

The ordinance provides for different minimum wage rates for the first two years based on how many employees a business employs, 50 or more, or 49 or less, U.S. employees, and will increase every six months:

To determine business size, the ordinance looks to the average number of employees employed per quarter during the most recent calendar year. For new employers, the size determination is based upon the actual number of hires at the time of opening.

Paid and Unpaid Leave Requirements

The law requires covered employers to provide both paid and unpaid...

Read Full Story: https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=e478a1c5-de82-4ff9-867a-72b7b6...