13b. You couldn't argue that you had a contract to pay the guy a cent per egg, you had to keep records of hours worked and pay the minimum wage.
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14. The original minimum wage under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) of 1938 was set at 25 cents per hour, equivalent to approximately $5.48 in 2025 dollars when adjusted for inflation.
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15. One of the largest exemptions carved out under FLSA was for agricultural workers. This was because Southern reps and Senators argued that Black and white agricultural workers shouldn't be paid the same minimum wage. As a result there was no minimum wage for ag workers
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16. In 1966, Congress passed an amendment to the FLSA that finally extended minimum wage protections to some agricultural workers, but this was a partial coverage that still excluded many smaller farms and certain types of agricultural labor.
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17. In 1977, Congress eliminated the subminimum wage provision for agricultural workers and extended full minimum wage coverage to a greater number of agricultural employers, though some smaller farms remained exempt and agricultural workers continue to be excluded from federal overtime protections.
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18. Because Congress hasn't updated the minimum wage provision since 2009, states and municipalities have independently increased theirs.
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19. The highest municipal minimum wage in the United States in 2025 is in Burien, Washington, where the minimum wage for employees of large employers is $21.16 per hour as of January 2025.
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20. The highest state minimum wage is also Washington, where it's $16.66 per hour.
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21. If the minimum wage had tracked average worker productivity growth since 1968, it would be over $26 per hour today.
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22. Employers can avoid providing FLSA protections to workers by classifying them as "subcontractors" rather than "employees."
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23. For example, Uber fought against legislation such as California Assembly Bill 5 (AB5), which aimed to reclassify gig workers as employees, by supporting Proposition 22 in 2020.
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