FLSA Overview
The FLSA sets baseline standards to help ensure that all employees in the United States are treated properly and earn a fair living wage. This act establishes national laws pertaining to the minimum wage a worker must be paid, in addition to overtime pay rules and rates, child labor rules, and minimum recordkeeping standards. Under the FLSA, the following benefits are not mandated, though state laws may allow for different provisions:
- Paid or unpaid rest or meal periods
- Vacation pay or time, sick pay, or severance pay
- Higher wages for weekend work
- Raises or bonuses
- Notification of or reasons for discharge
Who is Covered under the FLSA?
Under the FLSA, roughly 86% of workers in the United States must earn at least the federal minimum wage and must be paid overtime, or “time-and-a-half”(1.5 times their hourly wage) for all hours worked in excess of 40 hours in a given work week. If any of the following describe your job, the overtime and minimum wage laws established by the FLSA most likely pertain to you:
- A government agency: either federal, state, or local
- A company whose sales or receipts total or exceed $500,000 per year
- A school, including pre-school, elementary, secondary, higher learning institution and schools designed for mentally or physically handicapped or gifted children
- A hospital or similar institution designed for the care of the sick, elderly, or mentally ill
Contact an FLSA Lawyer
Unlike many countries, the United States upholds strict employee rights laws as established by the FLSA. Unfortunately, many American employees are not aware of the rights they are guaranteed by the FLSA and are taken advantage of by unscrupulous employers. One of the most common ways employers break FLSA laws is the illegal denial of overtime pay for employees who work more than 40 hours in a week. If you feel that you have been denied rightful overtime pay or other rights afforded to you under the FLSA have been violated, an experienced FLSA and employment lawyer from our firm can evaluate your situation to determine if any national employment laws have been broken. If so, you could be entitled to financial compensation, but it’s important for you to act quickly before a statute of limitations expires and you lose your right to pursue legal action. To learn more about employees’ rights in FLSA lawsuits, we encourage you to contact a national FLSA and employment lawyer today to schedule a free legal consultation. We maintain offices in Arizona, Utah, and California and can defend the best interests of employees from across the United States.