Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
According to the Department of Labor (DOL), recent years have seen an enormous increase in the amount of child labor violations within the United States. For example, the DOL found child labor violations affecting 5,792 children in fiscal year (FY) 2023, up from 3,876 in FY 2022. In response, Congress, the Biden administration, and the […]
Recently, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued its final rule on employee or independent contractor classification under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). This new rule, effective March 11, 2024, closely follows the DOL’s 2022 proposed rule, rescinding and replacing the 2021 Independent Contractor Status Under the FLSA Rule (2021 IC Rule). The 2021 […]
On January 9, 2024, the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Wage and Hour Division (WHD) released a final rule—going into effect beginning March 11—that will determine whether a worker can be classified as an independent contractor as opposed to an employee under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The 2024 rule modifies regulations by adopting […]
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has published its final rule on the classification of workers as either employees or independent contractors (ICs). Under the rule, the DOL returns to the “totality of the circumstances test,” with a focus on workers’ economic dependency on their employers. Why Properly Determining Worker Status Is Important Whether a […]
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) adopted a new standard for evaluating joint employers that takes effect February 26, 2024. The rule greatly expands when two or more entities may be considered joint entities. As a result, certain employers will now be mandated to participate in collective bargaining and can be found liable for unfair […]
The ability to pump breast milk in the workplace is protected by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). In 2010, the Break Time for Nursing Mother Act was passed as part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and amended the FLSA to include break time and space requirements to pump breast milk at work. The […]
In an earlier post, I reviewed the basics steps to take to avoid Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) mishaps and best practices to follow when eligible employees request FMLA leave. But, matters involving FMLA leave can quickly become complicated, especially in regards to the implementation of intermittent FMLA leave. Managing intermittent FMLA leave creates […]
Employer interests are sounding off against the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) proposal for a dramatic increase in the overtime threshold, but employers are still advised to take a close look at their exempt workforce to make sure their status is justified. The DOL released its long-awaited proposed rule on August 30. If finalized, the […]
On August 8, 2023, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued new regulations addressing prevailing wage requirements under the Davis-Bacon Act (DBA). The final rule alters how the DOL will calculate the prevailing wage applicable to a given classification and makes additional significant changes to the DBA regulatory scheme. 50% Rule Replaced by 50%/30% Rule Under […]
The most common pathway for an employer to hire a foreign worker on a permanent basis is to sponsor the employee for a Green Card. The first step in the sponsorship process is obtaining a permanent labor certification from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). The labor certification is obtained by filing an application through the […]