More than 135 million full and part-time workers in the public and private sectors across the U.S. are covered by FLSA protections.
Wage and hour laws deal directly with minimum wage, hours worked, and deductions. Like overtime regulations, wage and hour laws are related to fair compensation.
While some employers may deliberately withhold or manipulate wages, others may not intentionally be underpaying workers. It’s important to understand employment classifications.
Wage and hour laws regulate specific elements of employment, such as: minimum wage, off-the-clock hours, pre-shift or post-shift hours, rate of pay miscalculations, exemption miscalculations, rest and meal breaks, missed work deductions.
MINIMUM WAGE
The current federal minimum wage as of July 24, 2009 is $7.25, and is enforced by the Wage and Hour Division of the U.S. Department of Labor. If a state law requires higher minimum wage, that higher wage becomes the standard.
DEDUCTIONS
As mandated by the U.S. Department of Labor, “no deduction may be made from an employee's wages which would reduce the employee's earnings below the required minimum wage or overtime compensation.”
HOURS WORKED
FLSA requires that employees work no more than 40 hours in one week, and the amount of earnings received cannot be determined without knowing the hours worked.
BREAKS
FLSA requires compensation for break periods under 20 minutes. Meal and rest breaks beyond 30 minutes are considered non-compensable.
Wage & Hour Protections
Wage and hour laws vary by state, but the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) sets the majority of federal wage and hour laws*, and employers must comply with both state and federal protections. These protections include: