In July, we wrote about the Department of Labor’s proposed changes to the regulations governing the white collar exemptions of the Fair Labor Standards Act. The current regulations governing these exemptions—executive, administrative, and professional—include a salary basis test by which to determine if an employee meets one of these exemptions. The salary basis test currently
Wage and Hour Basics Series: The “Fee Basis” and the Proposed FLSA Regulations
As we have discussed in the past, to be eligible for one of the “white collar” exemptions (executive, administrative, or professional) or as a highly compensated employee (HCE), Section 541.600 of the FLSA regulations requires employers to compensate employees on a salary basis (currently $455 for white collar exemptions, but likely rising to around
The New FLSA Regulations: The DOL’s Actual Proposed Language
We have been covering the Department of Labor Wage & Hour Division’s (WHD) finally released proposal to amend the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which was published last week. The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) is lengthy, clocking in at 295 pages, nearly all of which (285+) constitute a preamble. Those 295 pages have plenty
The DOL’s Surprising Conclusion about Employers in the New FLSA Regulations
Last week, the Department of Labor’s Wage & Hour Division (WHD) finally announced its long-promised proposal to amend the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) Regulations and, in particular, those governing the “white collar” exemption for executive, administrative, and professional employees. For our comprehensive discussion of the changes in the DOL’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM)
February Comes and Goes with No Action by DOL on New FLSA Regulations
The calendar has flipped from February to March, but there is still nothing from the Department of Labor regarding new regulations governing the Fair Labor Standards Act. Don’t worry, you haven’t missed anything. The DOL missed its February deadline and has not announced any new deadlines just yet. As we have written here, the new
Paying On a “Salary Basis” Requires Actual Payments
As we have discussed before, to be considered an exempt executive, administrative, or professional employee, most employees must be paid on a “salary basis,” meaning that they receive a fixed salary for each workweek regardless of the number of hours worked or the quality or quantity of work performed. In a ruling that at
Do I Have To Pay An Exempt Employee Who Answers E-Mail Or Phone Calls While On FMLA Leave? [Wage & Hour FAQ]
Q. A salaried, exempt employee who recently returned from a week of unpaid FMLA leave claims that he is entitled to be paid his full salary for entire week because he responded to a number of work-related e-mails and telephone calls while he was out. Do we have to pay?
A. Wage and hour law is
“Right to Know” Rule Not Likely in 2012
For roughly the last two years, the U.S. Department of Labor has been contemplating (some would say “threatening”) revisions to the recordkeeping regulations under the Fair Labor Standards Act that would require an employer who classifies an employee as exempt to prepare a written justification of the basis for the exemption. This document would have
When does the FLSA require pay for meal periods? [Wage & Hour FAQ]
Q. A company provides employees with a 30-minute unpaid lunch break. An employee, who is a smoker, has asked if she can take two 5-minute unpaid smoking breaks – one in the morning and one in the afternoon – and reduce her unpaid lunch break to 20 minutes. Is this allowed?
A. No. Under the
Restaurant Association Sues to Block Tip Credit Rules
On April 5, 2011, the U.S. Department of Labor published new final regulations that among other things require employers to give new detailed notices to tipped employees in order to credit tips toward the minimum wage. The new regulations took effect on June 5, 2011. Yesterday, June 16, 2011, the National Restaurant Association, the