Sectoral Wage Ordinances
The majority of U.S. states have a minimum wage that is higher than the federal minimum, and currently 61 localities have minimum wages that are higher than that of their state. In addition, state and local governments have passed laws setting higher minimum wages and other wage-related standards for specific industries. Below we have compiled a list of these sectoral wage ordinances, grouped by sector.
Please let us know about any sectoral wage laws we have overlooked. Note that we have not included non-construction prevailing wage laws.
Contact: Ken Jacobs, kjacobs9@berkeley.edu
Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (and Baltimore’s Penn Station)
Secure Maryland Wage Act
- Maryland wage laws webpage: Secure Wage
- State of Maryland Code and Court Rules: Secure Maryland Wage Act
[Boston] Logan International Airport
Minimum Wage Policy for certain Commercial Service Operator (CSO) and Aviation Service Operator (ASO) Employees at Logan
- Massachusetts Port Authority minutes from November 16, 2023, meeting [see page 14]
- Massachusetts Port Authority minutes from June 16, 2022, meeting [see page 43]
- Massachusetts Port Authority minutes from November 21, 2019, meeting [see page 7]
[Chicago] O’Hare and Midway International Airports
Certified Service Provider Program (“CSPP”)
Denver International Airport
Minimum Wage Protections for Workers Associated with City Contracts
Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport
Living Wage Ordinance
[Houston] George Bush Intercontinental Airport, William P. Hobby Airport, and Ellington Airport
Living Wage Air Carrier Executive Order
Los Angeles World Airports (LAX and Van Nuys Airports)
Living Wage and Service Worker Retention Ordinances
Miami International Airport
Living Wage Ordinance
- Miami-Dade County’s Living Wage webpage
- Municipal Code Sec. 2-8.9. – Living Wage Ordinance for County service contracts and County employees
Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport
MSP Airport Minimum Wage Ordinance
LaGuardia Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport
Port Authority Minimum Wage Policy; Healthy Terminals Act
- Port Authority NY NJ Minimum Wage Rules for Airport Employees
- New York State Healthy Terminals Act webpage
- New Jersey Healthy Terminals webpage
Oakland International Airport
Living Wage and Labor Standards at Port-assisted Businesses
Philadelphia International Airport
PHL Prevailing Wage Law
Portland International Airport
Alignment with City of Portland’s Fair Wage Policy
St. Louis Lambert International Airport
St. Louis Living Wage
San Francisco International Airport
SFO Quality Standards Program
- SFO Rules and Regulations (scroll down to Quality Standards Program)
- San Francisco Minimum Compensation Ordinance
San Jose Mineta International Airport
Living Wage and Training Standards
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
SeaTac Minimum Employment Standards Ordinance for Hospitality and Transportation Industry Employers
- City of SeaTac Employment Standards Ordinance webpage
- Port of Seattle Resolution No. 3789 – Enacting Minimum Labor Standards Applicable to Certain Employers Located at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport [added airline catering workers to coverage]
[Washington, D.C.] Ronald Reagan Washington National and Washington Dulles International Airports
Airport Workers Wage Program
Anaheim (CA) Living Wages Paid by Beneficiaries of City Subsidies (Measure L)
Emeryville (CA) Workplace Justice Standards at Large Hotels
- Website (see “Measure C – Hotel Wage Rates” link in left column)
- Municipal code
- Ballot initiative text
Glendale (CA) Hotel Workers Protection Ordinance
Long Beach (CA) Hotel Worker Minimum Wage
- Website (Measure N)
- Measure RW, Minimum Wage Increase for Hotel Workers (updating Measure N)
Los Angeles Citywide Hotel Worker Minimum Wage Ordinance
- Website
- Municipal code
[NOTE: The Los Angeles Airport Hospitality Enhancement Zone was repealed by Ord. No. 183,241 (i.e., citywide hotel minimum wage), Eff. 11/10/14.]
Oakland (CA) Hotel Workers Protection & Employment Standards Ordinance (Measure Z)
Santa Monica (CA) Hotel Worker Living Wage
- Website
- Overview and link to ordinance
- Wages match the City of Los Angeles Citywide Hotel Worker Minimum Wage Rate
SeaTac (WA) Minimum Employment Standards Ordinance for Hospitality and Transportation Industry Employers
West Hollywood (CA) Hotels Minimum Wage
- Website
[Note: hotel employees currently have a higher minimum wage than other workers, but by 7/1/2023 the minimum wage will be the same for hotel and other workers.]
California
AB 1228, Fast food minimum wage (replaced AB 257)
New York State
Minimum Wage for Fast Food Workers
California
SB 525: Minimum wages: health care workers
Inglewood, CA
Healthcare workers minimum wage ordinance (23-10)
- Municipal code
§ 8-152(c) of this ordinance, prohibiting certain methods for funding the minimum wage, was struck down by the district court in April 2024.
Chicago
Domestic Worker Rights
Philadelphia
Domestic Worker Bill of Rights
Seattle
Domestic Worker Ordinance
Massachusetts
Settlement Agreement between the Attorney General and Uber Technology, Inc. and Lyft, Inc.
Minnesota
Transportation Network Companies
New York City
Driver pay rules for High-Volume For-Hire Services (Uber, Lyft)
Minimum Pay Rate for App-Based Restaurant Delivery Workers
Seattle
App-Based Workers Minimum Payment Ordinance
Washington State
Transportation Network Company Drivers’ Rights
Minnesota
Nursing Home Workforce Standards Board
New Jersey
Temporary Workers’ Bill of Rights
New York
Wage standard for workers at New York State private utility companies
- Senate Bill S6265
Note: While this is an extension of New York’s building service prevailing wage to building service workers employed at electric and steam gathering facilities, the standard isn’t attached to public dollars. The logic of the law was that the monopoly rights afforded to utility companies offers similar support as tax subsidies that require prevailing wage, and that therefore these companies should comply with the same wage standards.
Washington, D.C.
Minimum wage and fringe benefit rate for security officers
Chula Vista, CA
Traffic Control Worker Minimum Wage Ordinance
Detroit, MI
Industry Standards Board
- UC Berkeley Labor Center reports on airport labor standards
- Three-part series by Cynthia Estlund in OnLabor, May 2024
- How Local Government Can Stand Up for Workers When States Try to Stand in their Way, by Terri Gerstein and LiJia Gong, NYU Wagner Labor Initiative and Local Progress Impact Lab, August 2024.
- “Momentum for Worker Standards Boards Continues To Grow,” by Aurelia Glass and David Madland, EPI, September 7, 2023
- “The role of local government in protecting workers’ rights: A comprehensive overview of the ways that cities, counties, and other localities are taking action on behalf of working people,” by Terri Gerstein and LiJia Gong, EPI, June 13, 2022
- Local Progress Workers’ Rights Round Up