The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 created the minimum wage that American businesses know today.
The laws purpose was to protect workers from market forces that could lower the income of the lowest paid workers below a fair and decent level.
The minimum wage is an important number to know when you are in the cleaning industry. This is because wages are generally on the low end for our type of work. Though you may or may not pay the minimum rate to your employees, in most cases you won’t be too far from that number.
Minimum wage laws have caused tremendous frustration for the cleaning industry over the years. It puts the owner of a cleaning business in a dilemma that is hard to balance at times.
On the one hand, a cleaning company owner values their staff and wants to pay them as much they can to attract the best talent. On the other hand, they are at the mercy of market forces which determine how much they can reasonably afford to pay for labor.
Navigating the laws can be tricky depending on where you live, for instance the current Federal law regarding minimum wage states that you must pay at least $7.25 per hour. But if you live in a state which has a minimum wage that is higher than the Federal law (California has a $8.00 minimum), you must pay the higher amount.
Failure to comply with these laws can result in fines and other penalties that you want to avoid, so do your homework and make sure you follow the law to the letter. To help you with that, I have included a link to the United State Department Of Labor. By clicking here you can find what the laws are in your state.