Dec. 2, 2019 (MINNEAPOLIS) The City’s wage theft prevention ordinance will go into effect Jan. 1, 2020 – providing workers in Minneapolis with an additional avenue to recover unpaid wages through enforcement by the City’s Civil Rights Department.

The City adopted parts of the state’s new wage theft law into local ordinance earlier this year to help prevent wage theft and protect employees in Minneapolis. Under the ordinance, employers must do the following:

• Provide employees with written pre-hire notices of certain employment terms; notices must be signed by employees.
• Adhere to a regularly scheduled payday.
• Provide earnings statements at the end of each pay period.
• Provide notice of benefits under the City’s sick and safe time ordinance on pre-hire notices and earnings statements.

Wage theft is underpayment or failure to pay all wages earned. National estimates of wage theft unreported to authorities translate to tens of millions of dollars annually in Minneapolis. The ordinance complements other new municipal labor standards, including the City’s minimum wage and sick and safe time ordinances.

A sample prehire notice, FAQs, notice posters informing employees of Minneapolis labor and employment rights and additional resources are available at minneapolismn.gov/laborenforcement. Employees are encouraged to report violations online or call 311.

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