Minimum wage definition

All covered employees must be paid no less than the minimum wage set by The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). This is the Federal wage-hour law that sets minimum wage and other labor standards. The FLSA is enforced by the Wage and Hour Division of the U.S. Department of Labor.

The minimum wage was set at $5.15 an hour effective September 1, 1997. It is subject to change at any time by Congress. See www.dol.gov for any changes.

The law contains certain sub-minimum wage provisions permitting a lower minimum wage for youth, learners, apprentices and students.

In addition, an employer may be subject to state or local minimum wage requirements. Many states and some localities also have similar minimum wage laws that define requirements relating to the establishment of a minimum wage or the payment of wages, overtime, record keeping, or child labor.