New Orleans Code of Ordinances Chapter 70, Section 13, requires covered employers receiving city contracts or financial assistance to pay employees a living wage above the federal minimum, indexed annually for inflation.
The Living Wage Ordinance covers city service contractors above a threshold dollar value and recipients of certain economic development assistance. Hotels and tourism employers benefiting from city subsidies, leased city property, or convention-center development agreements have been pulled into the wage floor. The base rate, originally $10.55 per hour when adopted in 2015, adjusts each January based on the Consumer Price Index. Ballot Amendment 2 of 2018 affirmed the framework after challenges. Workers also accrue paid sick leave under the same chapter, although that piece faces ongoing Louisiana state preemption disputes.
Underpayment exposes employers to back-wage claims, contract suspension or debarment from city procurement, and civil penalties enforced through the New Orleans Office of Workforce Development.
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See how New Orleans's hotel living wage rules stack up against other locations.
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