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St. Paul councilmember urges removal of 90-day youth wage; council keeps public hearing open
Summary
Council Member Yang urged removing a 90-day reduced wage for 14- to 17-year-olds from Chapter 224.04(c) of the city code; council voted to leave the public hearing open and return the item Oct. 8 for further consideration.
Council Member Yang asked the City Council to strike a 90-day youth wage provision from the city’s legislative code, saying the city should not use age to determine pay and that young workers should receive the full city minimum wage immediately.
Yang spoke during the public hearing on Ordinance 205-5505, which would amend chapter 224 of the legislative code to align with state law changes. Yang said the city’s current language in Chapter 224.04(c) permits employers to pay employees ages 14 through 17 “not less than 85% of the city minimum wage for small employers ... during the first 90 days after the date of hire,” then the full city minimum wage after 90 days. “For me, this is a matter of us not needing to use age to determine somebody’s wage,” Yang said. “Eventually, they are going to be making the minimum wage as set in our code, so we should just allow for them to make that wage right away.”
Council President Johnson, speaking from the chair, thanked Yang for raising the item and said an amendment would likely require more time and possibly another public hearing. Vice President Kim said she supported further consideration and offered to help the council office move an amendment forward. Johnson and Kim both emphasized the need for staff and council members to review specific amendment language and consult relevant offices before final adoption.
The council took a motion from Yang to keep the public hearing open and lay the ordinance over for further discussion to the Oct. 8 meeting. The motion passed by voice vote; the chair announced seven in favor and none opposed.
The item remains at the public hearing stage and will return for further debate and possible amendment. Yang said she would consult with staff and circulate proposed language; Johnson said councilmembers may consult business and commerce staff as part of their review.
Background: Ordinance 205-5505 is part of a package of legislative-code updates the council is considering to align city code with state law. At the hearing Yang said St. Paul currently is the only city in the state that retains the 90-day reduced youth-wage language and suggested removing it to bring local code in line with current policy preferences. No final change to the ordinance was adopted at this meeting.
