The Department of Labor has made the decision to amend the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), intending to update sections of the FSLA that deal with wages and overtime, making this the first update to the federal wage law since 2004.
According to the DOL, this update to the FSLA is necessary in order to bring federal wage standards in line with inflation changes since the last update was made in 2014.
Understanding The FSLA Provisions
One of the main updates to the FSLA is that employees who are earning less than $50,400 a year, or $970 a week, must be paid overtime for any hours worked over the standard 40 each week.
The update to the FSLA is causing alarm among employers, especially since some of its provisions are likely to leave them scrambling when dealing with overtime. For example, if an employee is simply checking work-related emails, this can be considered work, as well as employers who offer flexible working schedules and are not sure what hours they actually worked, may find keeping track of overtime work may be difficult.
With these updates, there is likely to be an increase in employment law issues, especially as it pertains employment classifications and who will be entitled to overtime pay. If you have a concern or feel that you are a victim of wage or overtime theft, contact Maduff & Maduff today.