The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) is a labor law that defines the minimum wage, the work week, overtime standards, and youth employment standards for workers. The first version of the FLSA, known as the Wages and Hours Bill, was instituted in 1938 and passed in February of 1939. The FLSA was amended five times between 1949 and 1989, and the 1989 amendments remain in effect today.
One significant amendment passed as part of the 1938 amendments is the Equal Pay Amendment. The Equal Pay Amendment states that men and women must receive equal compensation for work requiring equal responsibility, skills, and effort and establishes an equal pay standard.
The FSLA includes a tiny subset of workers who must pay overtime. According to the FSLA, sales totaling more than $500,000 per year must comply with the law. Other types of employees exempt from the FSLA include many outside salespeople, some farm workers, and a few other miscellaneous workers. The interstate commerce restriction under the FSLA is much broader than under the FLSA.
The exemptions under the FSLA make it significantly easier for employers to comply with, and in many cases, the FSLA does not even apply. It's also worth mentioning that employees may qualify as exempt employees under both laws.
Regardless of the law, employers must pay exempt employees the same amount they receive for working overtime. As long as the exempt employee works the same number of hours, the amount they receive per hour does not change.
The Fair Labor Standards Act does not include any rules regarding sick leave or pay; severance; vacation, holiday, or break pay; termination pay or notice; notice of termination; W-2s; or paystubs. However, states often have their laws regarding these issues.
Employee Law (also known as FLSA law) encompasses various claims against private or public employers. For example, employees can recover lost wages under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) or act against employers who have violated child labor laws or have not met minimum wage requirements.
