Philadelphia City Council has unanimously approved Councilman W. Wilson Goode, Jr.’s Living Wage & Benefits Enforcement Legislation, empowering City Council to bring debarment charges against city contractors for failure to comply with the City’s minimum wage and healthcare benefits standard.

The New Minimum Wage and Benefits Ordinance, which took effect on July 1, requires City-supported employers to pay at least 150% of the federal minimum wage to its employees. It also mandates that if the employer provides healthcare benefits to any of its employees, the employer shall provide each full-time employee healthcare benefits at least as valuable as the basic healthcare benefits that are provided to the employer’s other full-time employees. There is an exemption for small businesses. Employers subject to the ordinance include:

The City of Philadelphia, including all its agencies, departments and offices.