mardi 14 janvier 2014

Understanding FLSA Laws And Regulations

By Marissa Velazquez


The Fair Labor Standards Act was signed into law in nineteen thirty-eight. Some people refer to these regulations as the FLSA laws. Even though it was surrounded by a certain amount of controversy when first established, it has revolutionized numerous aspects with regard to wages and labor.

The laws were administered by the United States Labor Department's Wage And Hours division and is enforced at the federal level. The Act was signed into law by then-President Roosevelt, and several attempts to amend the law have been defeated by the Supreme Court, as well as Congress. Although certain changes were made by Congress from time to time concerning this law, it is still very similar to how was originally written.

The law covers wages, the standard workday, and overtime pay. The latter regulation is sometimes overridden by specific state laws. However, most parts of the law, as previously mentioned, are enforced in all 50 states.

At regular intervals, federal minimum wage is increased. However, no set pattern is in place concerning when such changes occur, or the amount of each increase. January of 2009 marked the most recent change when minimum wage went to $7.25 an hour. The former president's bill initially proposed that such increases follow a preset pattern; however, this part of the law has been changed over the years.

As mentioned previously, FLSA laws also address overtime wages, which are classified as any hours one works that exceed the standard forty hour work week. One and a half times the basic pay rate is the amount the federal government has determined to be overtime pay. Even though the original law guarantees a national standard, individual states are allowed to modify this pay to a certain extent.

Record-keeping standards were also set by the aforementioned Act. Employers must maintain records of each worker's personal information, the hours the person works, and the wages he or she receives. Companies must also track weekly and daily earnings, overtime hours, and any additions or deductions associated with the person's pay. Employers are also required to define pay periods so that each worker is entirely clear about the period of time for which he or she is receiving wages.

The law designates different standards for young citizens. For instance, minors ages 14-17 may work as many as 3 hours a day, or 18 hours a week during the school year. However, during holidays, they can work 8 hour days, and up to 40 hours a week. Those under 14 are not allowed to work under the current child labor regulations. However, jobs such as newspaper routes are typically exempt from regulations concerning child labor.

FLSA laws are in place to protect American citizens from unfair labor practices. However, certain employers sometimes attempt to circumvent these regulations. For this reason, anyone who feels that he or she is being treated unfairly in a work environment, or anyone who suspects that child labor regulations are being broken, should contact the appropriate authorities as soon as possible.




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