Cleveland's Fair Employment Wage Ordinance (Ch. 189) requires city service contractors and tax-abatement recipients to pay a living wage indexed to the federal poverty line for a family of three, currently above Ohio's $10.70 minimum wage.
Codified Ordinances Chapter 189 sets a living wage for employees of contractors providing services to the city and for businesses receiving certain tax abatements or financial assistance. The wage is pegged to 100% of the federal poverty guideline for a family of three divided by 2,080 hours, adjusted annually. Although Ohio HB 494 (2018) preempted Cleveland's voter-approved $15 minimum wage citywide, Ch. 189 survives because it conditions city spending rather than regulating private wages. Hotels receiving city tax-increment financing or service contracts at Hopkins Airport must comply.
Underpayment triggers contract suspension, debarment from future city work, restitution of back wages, and possible clawback of tax abatements administered through the Department of Economic Development.
Cleveland, OH
Ohio HB 494 (2018) and Constitution Section 34a bar Cleveland from setting a local minimum wage above the statewide rate, currently $10.70 per hour. A 2016 C...
Cleveland, OH
Cleveland has not enacted a hotel worker retention ordinance requiring new owners to keep existing staff. Hotel labor relations follow Ohio at-will employmen...
See how Cleveland's hotel living wage rules stack up against other locations.
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