Employment regulations for unions and wage/hour regulations

Employment Regulations for Unions and Wage/Hour Regulations

Employment Regulations for Unions and Wage/Hour Regulations
The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) is a law adopted in the United States in the year of 1938. The law provides various guidelines regarding the minimum wages, recordkeeping, over time wage and even rules regarding the child labor. It considers all the workers both full time and part time irrespective of the private sector, federal governments or the local governments. Various amendments have been made in the Act over the years (McKay, n. d.).
The Department of Labor, United States is the one prime responsible agency for checking into such matters. They have the right to make investigations in any firm or company and have the right to check into the records, relating to wages and hours of the company. The investigation process generally comes with a prior notice to the companies. And the investigation process is instigated by any complaints from the present or past employees of a company. Sometimes, it may so happen that the DOL investigates a company of its own.
It is very important for a company to take help from the attorney when a notice has been sent to the company for an investigation. The attorney can give valuable information regarding the legal and technical complications which a company can face according to their present policies and procedures. It is very much required by the company to abide by The Fair Labor Standards Act. The non compliance of which can cause unrest in the company, especially for the employers. It is an added advantage if the employers can co-operate with the DOL officer in charge of the investigation. The cordial relationship with the officer sometimes proves beneficial for the company. Even, in case of violations in the law, the company should take necessary steps to rectify their mistakes (Culp, 2001).
According to the Fair Labor Standards Act, employers should be cautious at the time of the investigation and also before it, so as to reduce their liabilities. It is very important to be prepared with all furnished documents which may be needed in time of the investigation. It is also required to train the man power specially the managers and the supervisors to speak about the matter as required by the company. Also, it is significant for the employers to communicate with their employees and take their feedback regarding several issues prior to the DOL interviewing them and asking them number of questions. It is also to be checked that all the policies and the procedures whether follows the Act or not and if there are any loop holes or violations it should be filled with in suitable time. But it is very hard to take into notice all the matters and therefore there are violations. Thus, in case of any violation found by the DOL, it will be required by the company to change its practices and policies. The Department of Labor also has to clear all the dues if there is a back log in the wages of any employee or employees. But still if the employer refuses to accept, then the DOL can file a law suit against the employer.
The companies should therefore try to be on the safer side of the law and follow all the necessary legal procedures. Violations of the law may cause unnecessary troubles in the company and disturb its flow of operations. It can also harm the public image of the company regarding the human relations (Whittaker, 2003).
References
Culp, I. N., (2001). Beware – The DOL May Be Coming To Your Door. Fredrikson. Retrieved Online on Aug 31, 2010 from http://www. fredlaw. com/articles/employment/empl_0103_inn. html
McKay, D. R., (No Date). The Fair Labor Standards Act (U. S.). Career Planning. Retrieved Online on Aug 31, 2010 from http://careerplanning. about. com/cs/legalissues/a/fair_labor. htm
Whittaker, W. G., (2003). The Fair Labor Standards Act. Nova Publishers.