Tag: minimum wage

DOL Considers Lower, $47,000 Overtime Threshold

The U.S. Department of Labor is considering a lower, $47,000 salary threshold for its upcoming overtime regulations, according to news reports. A former Wage and Hour Division administrator called the move an “empty gesture” and said that setting the threshold any higher than $35,000 is irresponsible. The version of the rules that DOL proposed last June would […]

Experts Highlight Employment Law Issues for Associations

Associations need to have a special take on legal issues, because they are nonprofit, small employers and they may have to comply with laws in the District of Columbia, which has been a bellwether in promulgating liberal employment laws, causing some legal experts to call it the “California of the East.” To explain employment issues […]

Supreme Court Won’t Address FLSA Pleading Standard

The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to resolve a purported split among the federal appellate courts about the content required for a successful Fair Labor Standards Act lawsuit. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals addressed the issue most recently, holding that employees must allege specific facts in FLSA complaints; workers cannot merely restate potential […]

DOL: New Overtime Rules Expected This Spring

The U.S. Department of Labor will likely propose changes to its overtime regulations this spring, Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez told lawmakers March 18. President Obama last March instructed DOL to simplify its rules and raise its salary threshold defining which workers are exempt from overtime. To be considered exempt from the minimum wage […]

DOL Releases Official Proposal to Raise Federal Contractor Minimum Wage to $10.10

U.S. Labor Secretary Thomas E. Perez released a proposed rule to raise the minimum wage for federal contractor employees on new contracts to $10.10 on June 12. President Obama directed the U.S. Department of Labor to issue the rule in February. The rule provides guidance and sets standards for employers for contractor employees, and it […]

State Actions Reshaping Minimum Wage Debate

A wave of state minimum wage increases and proposed bills is reshaping efforts to raise the federal minimum wage. Dozens of states have taken up minimum wage bills over the last year, with five states — Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Minnesota and West Virginia — passing measures in the last few months. According to the National […]

2014 Minimum Wage Increases Loom in More than a Dozen States

Annual minimum wage increases kick in on Jan. 1, 2014, giving employers in many states just a few short weeks to get payroll practices in order before new minimum wage requirements take effect. As of press time, minimum wages in 14 states are slated to increase in 2014. Most are effective Jan. 1, but at […]

Fair Labor Standards Act Celebrates 75th Anniversary

The Fair Labor Standards Act turns 75 today, June 25. When the law was enacted as part of Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal policies it established the minimum wage, overtime and other labor standards that still govern today’s workplaces. Those standards turned out to be just the “baby steps” of a law that has grown to […]

Planning to Hire Teens for Summer Jobs? Brush Up on These FLSA Basics

The summer job season for teenagers kicks off in the next few weeks. Therefore, employers planning to hire young workers to augment their workforce must make sure they are compliant with the child labor provisions in the Fair Labor Standards Act to avoid facing steep penalties. Whether they are bagging groceries or mowing lawns, working […]