The city of Tucson is setting up the office to enforce the minimum wage act as hourly wages rise to $13 on April 1.
Nicole Ludden When Tucson’s voters approved a $15 minimum wage through Proposition 206 in November, they also approved the establishment of a city office charged with ensuring employers follow the new law.
While Prop. 206 calls for the city to create a “Department of Labor Standards” to handle minimum wage complaints, City Manager Michael Ortega said the Business Services Department has the infrastructure in place in its operations — which include issuing business permits, auditing and human resource functions — that could take on the enforcement aspects of the minimum wage act.
Capacity, enforcement uncertainThe minimum wage act requires the city to set up a department by April 1 to field complaints from employees alleging they haven’t been paid properly, investigate complaints within 45 days and take enforcement actions under the department director’s guidance. But in the long-term, it’s unclear if the Labor Standards Unit will be able to take on the many requirements Prop. 206 requires of it. The city was at a 12.2% job vacancy rate as of March 2, and the Business Services Department currently has 35 vacancies, according to the city.
But some proponents of the Tucson Fight for $15 initiative, which worked to place Prop. 206 on November’s ballot, are already questioning the Labor Standards Unit’s ability to ensure employees in city limits are paid according to the new law.
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