Minimum wage in Mississippi

Mississippi as no minimum wage law and follows the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) that establishes the minimum wage at $5.15 per hour. For tipped employees the maximum tip credit is $3.02 per hour with a minimum cash wage of $2.13 per hour.

This minimum wage rate calculates out to earnings of $10,300 annually which brings a worker below the poverty threshold of $13,020 for one parent and one child family. These wages are far below a family budget that includes purchasing basic items, housing costs, groceries, health care and child care. The Bureau of Labor Statistics show that 155,000 workers or 9.5% of the population in Mississippi would benefit from even a small increase of eighty-five cents per hour.

My research has shown that the state of Mississippi is not currently planning on passing any legislation or presenting any ballot issues that would increase their minimum wage rate. However, the Mississippi Legislatures in their third special session in 2005 were introducing a house bill titled “Momentum Mississippi.” This bill outlined economic incentives to improve the state of Mississippi. Under the leadership of Governor Haley Barbour who formed Momentum Mississippi, this bill addressed three recommendations to provide incentives for business growth in the state. While this initiative is admirable the legislature and the people of Mississippi have not addressed the minimum wage rate for their workers. Studies have shown that an increase in the minimum wage rate also increases economic development in those states.

Currently, the U.S. Congress is still debating whether to increase the Federal minimum wage rate from $5.15 per to $7.25 per hour. Many other states throughout the country have taken upon themselves to initiate higher minimum wage rates for their workers because they felt it was the right thing to do to help out all workers in their state.

Bookmark the permalink