Legislature doesn't act on minimum wage deal

Plans called for a compromise on how to regulate the new $6.15 minimum wage, but lawmakers took no action by the end of the session.

By Times Staff Writer
Published May 8, 2005

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TALLAHASSEE - Lost in the frenzied last hours of the 2005 legislative session: a carefully crafted compromise on how to regulate the state's new $6.15 minimum hourly wage, which began May 2.

ACORN, the group that sponsored the November statewide ballot measure that created the wage, has contended all along that no legislation was needed. On Friday, that preference became reality when lawmakers failed to pass the implementing bill.

In April, business leaders and ACORN agreed to a plan that would have required workers to first inform their boss in writing that they were being underpaid before seeking state or court intervention.

If the employer didn't respond within 15 days with the unpaid wages, the worker would have the right to sue or complain to the Florida Attorney General's Office.

ACORN legislative director Laura Mullins said Saturday the group, which has set up a hotline (1-866-412-2676) for minimum wage questions, will encourage a worker to first approach his or her boss before seeking other remedies.