What is the Minimum Wage in Ohio

August 23, 2019

By Peter Friedmann

Does Higher Minimum Wage in Ohio Benefit Employees?

Want to start an argument? Suggest raising the minimum wage in Ohio. Everyone will have an opinion.

Some will declare the minimum wage rate is too low, and others will argue that it is too high. A few will propose eliminating the minimum altogether. Very quickly, the debate may shift to speculation as to how requiring employers to pay workers more will affect the availability of jobs at the lower end of the pay scale.

As attorneys dedicated to helping employees enforce their rights, we focus instead on holding companies and agencies accountable when they fail to pay minimum wage in Ohio. Employees must be paid at least minimum wage for every hour worked.

What Is the Minimum Wage in Ohio?

During 2019, Ohio set the minimum wage at $8.55/hour for most workers. The state also allows employers to pay employees who receive tips $4.30/hour, as long as their “tip credit” ends up being equal to minimum wage based on the number of hours worked in that week. Any additional amount to equal minimum wage, after the hourly rate and tip credit have been combined, must be paid by the employer.

Practically everyone who earns the minimum wage or tipped wage in Ohio is eligible to earn overtime by working more than 40 hours during a workweek. The standard overtime rate is 1.5 times the regular wage, and withholding overtime pay from employees who earn it is as illegal as refusing to pay the minimum wage.

What Can an Employee Do if Their Company Does Not Pay Minimum Wage?

Employers have many ways to cheat workers out of the minimum wage and overtime. Following are just a few examples:

Employees who received tips were told they are only eligible to receive the tipped wage.
Restaurants required tipped employees to pool or turn over tips, and managers returned only the amount necessary to pay employees minimum wage.
Supervisors told tipped employees they were not eligible to earn overtime pay.
Managers classified employees as independent contractors so those employees would not be covered by minimum wage or overtime laws.
Managers gave hourly workers inflated job titles to deprive them of overtime pay.
Managers falsified timesheets so it looked like employees worked fewer hours than they actually did.
Employees were required to work unpaid overtime if they wanted to keep their jobs.

At The Friedmann Firm, we partner with workers in Columbus and Cleveland to enforce minimum wage and overtime laws. We offer free consultations to all workers who have concerns about unfair pay practices, employment discrimination and harassment in the workplace. To schedule an appointment, call us at 614.610.9755 or connect with us online.

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