PRESS RELEASE

Colorado Department of Labor and Employment • 633 Seventeenth Street, Suite 1200 • Denver, CO 80202 •

(303) 318-8004 • Fax: (303) 318-8070

For Immediate Release

Date: December 6, 2007

Contact:            Office of Government, Policy and Public Relations

Phone:              (303) 318-8004

Fax:                  (303) 318-8070

Web:                http://www.yourworkforcecenter.com/LamarWFC.htm

EMPLOYER PRESENTATION TO OFFER HELP IN UNDERSTANDING A VARIETY
OF WAGE AND HOUR LAWS

Employers will also learn about Colorado’s new minimum wage law that takes effect on January 1

(DENVER)  -- Laws which have a direct impact on Colorado businesses will be explained in a free educational seminar to be offered by the Lamar Workforce Center on December 18.

                                        When:             Tuesday, December 18^th, from 9:30 AM to12 Noon

                                        Where:            Lamar Community Resource and Senior Center

407 East Olive Street, Lamar

“Employment laws trigger a variety of questions from employers who want to know how the laws affect them,” says Betty Velasquez, director of the Southeast and South Central Workforce Centers.  “When can a worker be classified as an independent contractor rather than an employee?  Are there exemptions to the minimum wage law?  What constitutes age discrimination when hiring?  The answers to these and other questions can be trickier than you might think.”

The roundtable discussion on December 18 will help employers sort out the answers.  In addition, attendees will have an opportunity to learn about the state’s new minimum wage law that may affect them.  Since the passage of Amendment 42 in 2006, Colorado’s minimum wage is adjusted each year for inflation and businesses need to ensure that their payrolls reflect those changes.

On January 1, 2008, Colorado’s new minimum wage will be raised from $6.85 an hour to $7.02 per hour.  In addition, on that date tipped employees, such as servers in restaurants, will see their base pay increase from $3.83 an hour to a new hourly wage of $4.00.  Information on the 2008 minimum wage can be accessed by going to www.coworkforce.com and clicking on the New Colorado Minimum Wage link.

The seminar will be conducted by Joseph Herrera, a compliance investigator with the Division of Labor, a part of the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment.  With over fifteen years experience in assisting small businesses meet the challenge of being in compliance with labor laws, Herrera has an ability to make even the most complex statutes understandable.

Joining him will be Rosalinda Huffman, a wage and hour investigator with the U.S. Department of Labor.  Together, their presentation will provide ample opportunity for participants to get their questions answered in a clear and direct style.

“We want employers to be aware that a new minimum wage will be going into effect and this presentation will address those changes,” Velasquez says, “but this presentation will not be devoted solely to that topic.  We also want this to be an opportunity for small business owners to get the definitive answer to any question they may have regarding both state and federal labor laws.”

Individuals interested in attending, should RSVP to either Elva or Linda with the Lamar Workforce Center at (719) 336-2256.

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