On June 30, 2015, the United States Department of Labor (DOL) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking seeking comments on a proposal to raise the salary threshold for the so-called “white-collar” exemptions from $455 per week ($23,660 annually) to an expected $970 per week ($50,440 annually), as projected by the DOL for 2016. The DOL … Continue Reading
The approaching holidays may have put Congress, the National Labor Relations Board and the United States Supreme Court in the “gift-giving” mood. In the last week, three significant developments occurred which may radically affect manufacturers in 2015. On December 11, in Purple Communications, a divided National Labor Relations Board ruled that employees had a statutory … Continue Reading
Anyone trying to read the tea-leaves of the recent elections might want to take a step back and slow down before predicting how they will impact American manufacturers in 2015. The recent, dramatic drop in oil prices may have had a positive impact on the manufacturing sector, but could not have been predicted just a … Continue Reading
Actual productive labor is what a manufacturer may think is “work”. No work, no pay. However, courts have interpreted federal and state wage and hour laws much more broadly. In general, a “workday” means the period between the time on any particular day when such employee commences his/her “principal activity” and the time on that day … Continue Reading
Donning and doffing is a term of art in the employment context. There has been considerable litigation under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) over the years regarding whether employers must pay employees for time spent putting on and taking off (i.e, “donning and doffing”) various types of gear during the workday. After passing on this … Continue Reading
