Q. Has the salary threshold increased for exempt status under the Fair Labor Standards Act?

A. On September 24 — more than five years after the Obama administration first proposed updating the overtime regulations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) — the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) released the final version of its long-anticipated

Q.  My company conducts operations in several locations throughout New York State. What do I need to know about the upcoming minimum wage increases and new salary threshold requirements for our administrative and executive level employees?

A.  Employers in New York State should prepare to ring in the New Year with yet another increase in the minimum wage, as well as substantial increases in the salary thresholds for exempt executive and administrative employees. In 2016, as part of a sweeping overhaul of the state’s wage and hour law, the New York Department of Labor amended the rules to provide for annual increases across the spectrum of wages, with the third phase set to go into effect on December 31, 2018.
Continue Reading Minimum Wage Increases Scheduled for New York Employees

Q.  I heard that the U.S. Supreme Court just issued a ruling finding that auto service workers are exempt from overtime pay. My company is not in the automobile industry. Will this opinion apply to us?

A.  The U.S. Supreme Court issued an opinion this week in Encino Motorcars, LLC v. Navarro, finding that auto service workers – those employees who interact with customers and sell them services for their vehicles – are exempt from overtime pay under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). While the decision directly impacts this small category of jobs, the opinion will have a much more far-reaching impact, since the Court rejected long-standing precedent that exemptions must be construed narrowly against the employer.
Continue Reading United States Supreme Court Revises Standard for Review of Exempt Classification