Category Archives: Dept of Labor

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UPDATE ON STATUS OF CHANGES TO OVERTIME SALARY THRESHOLDS

By Laurie A. Petersen On August 31, a U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Texas struck down the controversial high salary threshold hikes that the Department of Labor under President Obama set for overtime exemptions putting to rest employer concerns about their obligations when or if the Rule was ever implemented.  The Rule […]

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TEXAS COURT ISSUES NATIONWIDE INJUNCTION, BARRING THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR’S PERSUADER RULE

By: Thomas W. Mackenzie Yesterday (November 16, 2016), the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas issued a permanent injunction barring enforcement of the U.S. Department of Labor’s “Persuader Advice Exemption Rule.”  As we have reported in previous E-Alerts, this rule would have required employers and their attorneys to report expenditures incurred in […]

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Department of Labor Issues Final Rule on FLSA Exemptions

By Oyvind Wistrom The U.S. Department of Labor issued its much-anticipated final overtime exemption rule on May 18, 2016, raising the minimum salary threshold required to qualify for the Fair Labor Standards Act’s (FLSA) “white collar” exemptions to $47,476 per year ($913 weekly).  The new salary test will apply to all administrative, professional, executive, outside […]

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DOL ISSUES GUIDANCE EMPHASIZING ITS FOCUS ON MISCLASSIFICATION

By: Laurie A. Petersen and Samantha J. Wood The U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) has issued new guidance reiterating its focus on misclassification of employees as independent contractors and warning employers that “most workers are employees.” The DOL has asserted that the purpose of its guidance is to provide clear direction to employers regarding the […]

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DOL’S PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE OVERTIME REGULATIONS SEEK TO RAISE THE SALARY THRESHOLD FOR EXEMPT EMPLOYEES TO $970 A WEEK

By:  Laurie A. Petersen and Samantha J. Wood As directed by President Obama in March 2014, the Department of Labor (DOL) has issued a proposed rule regarding the Fair Labor Standard Act’s overtime regulations. The rule focuses primarily on updating salary and compensation levels.  It proposes increasing the standard salary threshold level for exempt employees […]

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DOL ISSUES GUIDANCE ON RIGHTS OF SAME-SEX SPOUSES FOR ERISA PLANS

By: Alan M. Levy On September 18, 2013 the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) issued Technical Release 2013-04 to address ERISA rights for same-sex spouses after the Supreme Court’s decision in United States v. Windsor, 133 S. Ct. 2675 (2013), invalidated parts of the federal Defense of Marriage Act. Largely consistent with the equivalent discussion […]

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NEW FEDERAL REQUIREMENTS IMPOSING HIRING GOALS FOR VETERANS AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES TO AFFECT APPROXIMATELY 171,000 COMPANIES

By: Laurie A. Petersen and Samantha J. Wood On August 27, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) announced a Final Rule that makes changes to the regulations implementing the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA) and Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. These changes are intended […]

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OFCCP PROPOSED RULE SEEKS TO INCREASE DISABILITY HIRING

By: Laurie A. Petersen and Kristofor L. Hanson On December 9, 2011, the Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (“OFCCP”), published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, which if implemented, would impose significant changes on companies doing business with the federal government with respect to their hiring of persons with disabilities. The rule […]

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