Employment Law Update: Virginia Minimum Wage Remains $12 Per Hour
Date: April 3, 2024
Governor Youngkin justified his veto decision based on concern that an increase in minimum wage would have been a burden on small businesses. The proposal would have increased the current minimum wage by 25%. Proponents of the veto argued:
- The Bill failed to account for how a higher wage would impact businesses around the state differently;
- A one-size-fits-all mandate ignored the vast economic and geographic differences within the Commonwealth;
- The Bill would undermine the ability to adapt to regional cost-of-living differences; and
- Raising the hourly minimum wage would have led to shuttered businesses and lost jobs.
Governor Younkin stated that blocking the Bill was necessary to keep Virginia competitive with other states that are not facing minimum wage hike mandates such as North Carolina and Texas.
The Bill was narrowly passed by the Virginia legislature and the Virginia legislature does not appear to have the votes to override it. For now, the minimum wage in Virginia remains $12.00 per hour.
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