IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s labor commissioner says the Johnson County plan to raise the minimum wage to more than $10 an hour would be unlawful.
Labor Commissioner Michael Mauro told the Iowa City Press-Citizen on Monday that employers always have discretion to pay more than minimum wage, but he says a county mandate would be unconstitutional because it would be inconsistent with state law. He says it would take a court challenge to prevent the county board from setting a new rate.
Last week the county Board of Supervisors decided to seek a county ordinance that would raise the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour by 2017, using three hikes of 95 cents an hour, starting on Nov. 1.
Johnson County Supervisor Rod Sullivan says he disagrees with Mauro’s interpretation.
