Pennsylvania Employment Law Update – January 2019

Fair Workweek Employment Standards Ordinance

On December 20, 2018, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney signed the Fair Workweek Employment Standards Ordinance (Ord. No. 180649-A) requiring Philadelphia employers with at least 250 employees and 30 locations worldwide in the retail, food services, and hospitality industries to provide fair workweek employment standards for their employees. This includes reasonable notice of schedules, rest time between shifts, and opportunities for additional hours. The law also provides for enforcement and penalties.

The ordinance is effective January 1, 2020.

Read Ord. No. 180649-A

Philadelphia Minimum Wage Bill

On December 20, 2018, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney signed an ordinance (Ord. No. 180846) increasing the minimum wage for all city employees, contractors, and subcontractors as follows to:

• $12.40 per hour between January 1, 2019 and June 30, 2019.
• $13.25 per hour between July 1, 2019, and June 30, 2020.
• $13.75 per hour between July 1, 2020, and June 30, 2021.
• $14.24 per hour between July 1, 2021, and June 30, 2022.
• $15 per hour between July 1, 2022 and June 30, 2023.

On July 1, 2023 and thereafter, the minimum wage will increase based on the Consumer Price Index.

Student interns, workers engaged in a transitional training program, and employees on a construction project subject to prevailing wage requirements are not covered by the ordinance or these wage rates.

Read Ord. No. 180846