Workers Comp Matters

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) is often overlooked as a part of workers' compensation because it does not involve injury. The FLSA was a job creation bill passed in the 1930s that requires all employers in the United States to pay employees time-and-a-half, or 1.5 times their normal rate applied to every hour worked in overtime. As probably every worker knows, overtime starts after 40 hours of work per week. This is a federal statute that applies in every state to every worker, although 29 states have their own Wage and Hour laws. Who is exempt from the FLSA, how is this law enforced, and what related issues arise? In this episode of Workers Comp Matters, host Alan Pierce interviews Michael Galpern, a workers' compensation lawyer who specializes in the Wage and Hour area of the law. Together they discuss the importance of the FLSA, what types of managerial positions are exempt from the law, and how the Departments of Labor enforce the law. Galpern explains the issues that arise with tipped employees and