The Importance of Employment Law

Since the mid 1800’s there has been an increasing number of local, state and federal laws enacted to protect both the employee and the employer in the United Sates. These labor laws have given employees the right to safe work environments, shorter work weeks, and guaranteed wages. Employers have also received many protections as well.

One of the newest laws to impact employees is part of the Fair Labor Standards Act, and it concerns overtime pay for salaried employees.New Overtime Law Goes Into Effect December 1, 2016A new law has recently been approved by the U.S. Department of Labor that falls under the Fair Labor Standards Act. This new law changes the salary requirements for those who are considered exempt executive, professional, or administrative employees.

Employees who are considered exempt under these conditions means that they can receive a salary for a specific amount and not have to receive overtime pay for any hours they work over 40 in one week. Prior to this change, this applied to any working manager, administrative position or executive who made over $455.00 per week. This low wage amount has been very impractical and many blue collar managers were putting in extensive hours for no extra pay simply because they earned $500 per week.

Now, the new employment law states that these positions must make more than $913.00 per week or $47,476.00 per year before they can be considered exempt from overtime pay. This will ensure that those making under this amount are now paid for their time.

As with any new employment law, there will be those who do not find this a good law. Some employers may not wish to pay the overtime, while some employees may feel that their hours will be cut or their positions changed. However, they will both soon realize that this is very beneficial to all.

Employers who do not comply with these new overtime pay laws will be in violation of the fair Standards Labor Act. Employees who do not receive their actual pay for the hours they work may need to seek legal representation so that they can claim their unpaid wages. If you believe that this has happened to you, speak with an employment law attorney about your case.