Ohio minimum wage won’t rise in 2010

Ohio’s minimum wage will remain unchanged at $7.30 per hour in 2010, according to the state Department of Commerce.

For tipped employees, the minimum wage remains at $3.65 per hour. Under state law, if the employee’s tips plus wages don’t average $7.30 per hour, the employer must pay the difference.

The constitutional amendment passed by voters in November 2006 states that Ohio’s minimum wage shall increase on January 1 of each year by the rate of inflation. The wage is tied to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for urban wage earners and clerical workers for the 12-month period prior to September. Since the index declined by 0.2 percent from Sept. 1, 2008 to Aug. 31, 2009, so the state minimum wage will not be increased in 2010.

The state minimum wage will continue to apply to employers who gross more than $267,000 per year. For employers grossing less than $267,000 per year the state minimum wage is $7.25 per hour-- an amount equal to the federal minimum wage.