GROWERS MUST DISPLAY NEW FLORIDA MINIMUM WAGE POSTER

Governor Bush recently signed a bill which requires the creation and posting of a state minimum wage poster. Effective January 7, 2007 each employer who must pay an employee the Florida minimum wage will be required to display a poster in a conspicuous and accessible place in each establishment where such employees are employed. The new posters will read as follows:

NOTICE TO EMPLOYEES

The Florida minimum wage is $...(amount)… per hour, with a minimum wage of at least $...(amount)… per hour for tipped employees, in addition to tips, for January 1,…(year)… through December 31,…(year)…

The rate of the minimum wage is recalculated yearly on September 30, based on the Consumer Price Index. Every year on January 1 the new Florida minimum wage takes effect.

An employer may not retaliate against an employee for exercising his or her right to receive the minimum wage. Rights protected by the State Constitution include the right to:

1. File a complaint about an employer’s alleged noncompliance with lawful minimum-wage requirements.

2. Inform any person about an employer’s alleged noncompliance with lawful minimum-wage requirements.

3. Inform any person of his or her potential rights under Section 24, Article X of the State Constitution and to assist him or her in asserting such rights.
An employee who has not received the lawful minimum wage after notifying his or her employer and giving the employer 15 days to resolve any claims for unpaid wages may bring a civil action in a court of law against an employer to recover back wages plus damages and attorney’s fees. An employer found liable for intentionally violating minimum-wage requirements is subject to a fine of $1,000 per violation, payable to the state.

The Attorney General or other official designated by the Legislature may bring a civil action to enforce the minimum wage. For details see Section 24, Article X of the State Constitution.

Each year the Agency for Workforce Innovation will, on or before December 1, create and make available to employers a poster in English and in Spanish. The poster must be at least 8.5 inches by 11 inches and in a format easily seen by employees. The text in the poster must be of a conspicuous size. The text in the first line must be larger than the text of any other line and the text of the first sentence must be in bold type and larger than the text in the remaining lines.