DOL Announces Listening Sessions As It Mulls Changing White Collar Exemption Regulations
September 17, 2018
Changes to the White Collar Exemptions under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”) are coming slowly, very slowly. Back in May 2016, under the Obama Administration, the Department of Labor (DOL) issued a Final Rule updating the regulations for the FLSA’s minimum wage and overtime executive, administrative, and professional exemptions. That rule would, among other things, have increased the minimum salary required for most employees within these exemptions from $455 a week ($23,660 a year) to $913 a week ($47,476 a year). In November 2016, a federal judge in Texas enjoined that regulation just nine days before it was to go into effect. In July 2017, the DOL issued a Request for Information seeking public comment on a whole series of questions relating to whether and how the DOL should update the existing regulations. The DOL’s semi-annual regulatory agenda indicates that the current plan is to issue a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking regarding these exemption regulations in or about January 2019. Apparently feeling that it does not yet have sufficient information to be able to make an informed decision about what it should say in the proposed regulations—notwithstanding the more than 214,000 comments received to date in response to the 2017 Request—the DOL has announced a series of five “listening sessions” to be held in Atlanta, Seattle, Kansas City, Denver, and Providence. SESCO has a long history of ensuring that employers are compliant with federal and state wage and hour requirements; if employers have any questions or concerns about their pay practices, we recommend they contact us to ensure compliance.
According to the DOL’s press release, “[t]he Department plans to update the Overtime Rule, and it is interested in hearing the views of participants on possible revisions to the regulations.” Employers interested in letting their views be known to the DOLin connection with this rulemaking are may register for one or more of these two-hour sessions. There is no charge to attend, but the DOL requires registration. Given the nature of this type of gathering, it seems unlikely that the DOL will provide any insights into where the rulemaking may be headed. Instead, the purpose seems to be for the public to express its views and for the DOL to take note of those views.
