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.
18. Because Congress hasn't updated the minimum wage provision since 2009, states and municipalities have independently increased theirs.
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.
20. The highest state minimum wage is also Washington, where it's $16.66 per hour.
21. If the minimum wage had tracked average worker productivity growth since 1968, it would be over $26 per hour today.
22. Employers can avoid providing FLSA protections to workers by classifying them as "subcontractors" rather than "employees."
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.
24. Uber's chief counsel, Tony West, is Kamala Harris's brother-in-law.
I got ahead of myself there. More interesting lawsuits about subcontracting and misclassification when there's more likes.
25. Ho v. Sim Enterprises: 13 Chinese immigrant garment workers, mostly women, from a Manhattan factory won over $1.2 million in damages for unpaid minimum wage and overtime pay owed from 2005 to 2010. One plaintiff was paid $100-$200 per month.
25 b. The plaintiffs' attorneys tried to go after the garment purchasers, NASDAQ listed national retailers, but were unsuccessful
