BlogLine

DOL Releases New Overtime Rule And Increases Minimum Salary To $35,568

9/30/19

By: Brad Adler

On Tuesday, September 24, 2019, the U.S. Department of Labor released its long-awaited new minimum salary threshold for the Fair Labor Standards Act’s white collar exemptions (i.e., executive, administrative and professional exemptions).  Under the new rule, which is set to take effect on January 1, 2020, the DOL has set the minimum salary threshold at $684 per week, or $35,568 per year (up from $23,660).  The DOL anticipates that the updated threshold will expand overtime pay obligations to an estimated 1.3 million additional workers.
Commenting on the new rule, acting U.S. Secretary of Labor Patrick Pizzella stated: “For the first time in over 15 years, America’s workers will have an update to overtime regulations that will put overtime pay into the pockets of more than a million working Americans. . .This rule brings a commonsense approach that offers consistency and certainty for employers as well as clarity and prosperity for American workers.”
Here are the highlights of the new rule:

• The minimum salary threshold will be $684 per week, which equates to $35,568 per year.
• Employers will still be able to use a nondiscretionary bonus, incentive pay or commissions to satisfy up to 10% of the standard salary level for the white collar exemptions (and the highly compensation exemption)

• • A one-time “catch-up” payment of up to 10% of the total standard salary level may be made within one pay period falling at the end of the 52-week pay period for those employees who have not earned enough to maintain their exempt status.

• The highly compensated employee exemption’s additional total annual compensation requirement will increase to $107,432 per year.
• The new rule did not make any changes to the duties test of the white collar exemptions
• There are no automatic increases included within this new rule

Finally, while it seems inevitable that employee advocate groups are going to challenge the threshold, which they wanted to see much higher, we still believe it makes sense for employers to prepare for this new rule now.  As a part of their preparation, employers should be assessing whether they have employees they are classifying as exempt, but are making less than the new $35,568 requirement.  If so, employers need to decide whether to increase the employee’s salary, convert the employee to a non-exempt employee paid on an hourly basis or consider use of the fluctuating workweek method.
Please reach out to Brad Adler (Chair of FMG’s National Labor & Employment Practice Group) at badler@fmglaw.com if you have any questions or need any assistance in navigating the new overtime rule.