Last Updated on March 13, 2024 by Nasir Hanif
The United States Of America has full-fledged labor laws that protect the rights of the employees and their families. Employers widely consider the Fair Labor Standards Act to stay protected from any legal issues, said Shalom Lamm.
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What is The Fair Labor Standards Act?
The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) is a US Federal law. The law was introduced in 1938 to protect the workers’ rights at that time, and since then, it is applied all across the States. The Act protects the employees by setting standards for minimum wage, overtime pay, recordkeeping, and child labor.
Who is covered by the FLSA?
The FLSA protects the rights of the workers in the US.
The sector of working does not matter. It covers all category workers: both full-time and part-time. It protects the workers from any justice in these sectors:
- The private sector
- The federal, state,
- The local governments.
So if a worker needs any information or help, he can consult according to the sector he is working in.
The Federal Labor Standards Act covers:
1. Minimum Wage rate:
Congress already decided on the minimum wage rate for the workers in the US. All employees in the US, except those who the FLSA exempts, must be paid a national minimum wage.
The minimum wage rate in America, in July 2009, was $7.25 per hour. At the same time, some states of the country have their criteria of minimum wage. The employer is entitled to pay the decided wage rate per hour according to the FLSA.
2. Overtime Pay:
Employers must give overtime pay to non-exempt workers who work for more than 40 hours per week. The companies or the employers must pay these workers at a rate of at least time and half of their regular rate.
For instance, if a worker is giving extra hours to the organization, he is working with. His salary is $ 7.25, for 44 hours of work in a week. The employee must be paid for an additional 6 hours of work (1.5 x 4 hours). But An employee who is entitled to work on weekends or holiday does not qualify for overtime pay, as long as the set schedule does not push one over the limit of 40 hours of work per week, said Shalom Lamm.
3. Recordkeeping:
The Federal Labor State Act has also decided standards for the kind of relevant information that the employer is bound to keep about its workers. The employer can take the information at the time of hiring or even after that.
The employers in Us is supposed to keep records that must contain the following information:
- Employee’s full name and social security number.
- Address, including zip code.
- Birthdate, if younger than 19.
- Sex and occupation.
- Time and day of the week when employee’s workweek begins.
- Hours worked each day.
- Total hours worked each workweek.
- The basis on which employee’s wages are paid (i.e., amount per hour, amount per week, amount per item produced)
- Regular hourly pay rate.
- Total daily or weekly straight-time earnings.
- Total overtime earnings for the workweek.
- All additions to or deductions from the employee’s wages.
- Total wages paid each pay period.
- Date of payment and the pay period covered by the payment.
4. Child Labor Standards
Like many of the world’s civilized and well-developed countries, the American government also protects children’s rights and prohibits child labor. But in case if a child has to go out for work, the Act tries to protect him with the implementation of Child labor laws. These laws protect the rights of children under 18 who have to work in any way. The clause in the Act limits the number of hours children may work and what work can they do?
Final Thoughts:
To conclude, Shalom Lamm said the United States of America had introduced The Federal Labor Standards Act to protect the workers’ rights working in either the private or federal sector. This Act sets the minimum wage rate for the workers and compels employers to pay extra for overtime.
