A new Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division final rule is increasing the federal minimum wage for certain federal contractors and disabled employees working on government contracts to $15 on January 30, 2022.
On November 22, 2021, the U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division announced a final rule that increases the hourly minimum wage for employees of covered government contractors and disabled employees to comply with President Biden’s Executive Order 14026.
The new final rule:
- Increases the hourly minimum wage for certain federal contractors to $15 beginning January 30, 2022.
- Continues to index the minimum wage to an inflation measure in future years.
- Eliminates the tipped minimum wage for federal contractors by 2024.
- Requires a $15 minimum wage for workers with disabilities performing work on or in connection with covered contracts.
- Re-extends the federal minimum wage to outfitters and guides operating on federal lands.
The new federal minimum wage rules follow the Biden-Harris Administration’s announcement of new COVID-19 vaccination mandates for most government contractors and subcontractors working on $250,000 or greater federal contracts as well as the reconstitution of Obama Administration era pro-worker joint employer and other worker classification practices.
Because government contractors typically perform work at rates bid months if not years in advance at the time services are rendered, adjustments in the minimum wage can substantially impact the profitability of those contracts. To minimize these risks, impacted employers will want to assess the impact of the wage increase as well as complete preparations to comply with the new rules.
In the face of these developments, government contractors should update their policies and budgets as well as and consider tightening their compliance and risk management practices.
More Information
For assistance or more information about these and other workforce requirements contact the author.
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About the Author
For help developing, administering or defending your organization’s wage and hour and other workforce, employee benefits, compensation or compliance practices, contact the author. Recognized by her peers as a Martindale-Hubble “AV-Preeminent” (Top 1%) and “Top Rated Lawyer” with special recognition LexisNexis® Martindale-Hubbell® as “LEGAL LEADER™ Texas Top Rated Lawyer” in Health Care Law and Labor and Employment Law; as among the “Best Lawyers In Dallas” for her work in the fields of “Labor & Employment,” “Tax: ERISA & Employee Benefits,” “Health Care” and “Business and Commercial Law” by D Magazine, Cynthia Marcotte Stamer is a practicing attorney board certified in labor and employment law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and management consultant, author, public policy advocate and lecturer widely known for 30+ years working as an on demand, special project, consulting, general counsel or other basis with domestic and international business, charitable, community and government organizations of all types, sizes and industries and their leaders on labor and employment and other workforce compliance, performance management, internal controls and governance, compensation and benefits, regulatory compliance, investigations and audits, change management and restructuring, disaster preparedness and response and other operational, risk management and tactical concerns. In the course of this work, she has advised government contractors and other employers, published and spoken extensively on wage and hour and other workforce compliance for more than 30 years.
For more information about these concerns or Ms. Stamer’s work, experience, involvements, other publications, or programs, see www.cynthiastamer.com, on Facebook, on LinkedIn or Twitter or e-mail here.
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