Labor And Employment Law Changes To Understand In 2019

There are a few labor and employment laws and ordinances that passed in 2018 and went into effect in the new year. Several changes have been made on both the federal and the state level with which employers should be familiar to ensure compliance.

Employee tips

One of the federal changes is with employee tips. The Consolidated Appropriations Act amended the Fair Labor Standards Act regarding tipped employees. Employers, including supervisors and managers, are not allowed to keep any tips an employee receives from a customer.

Minimum wage

The federal government has issued an increase in the national minimum wage. In addition, a number of states have increased their required minimum wage higher than the federal requirement. All employers must ensure that their lowest paid employers are making at least the minimum wage required by state and federal law. The increases impact not only hourly pay but also any overtime wages earned by an employee after the 1st of January 2019.

Scheduling changes

There are some changes to federal laws when it comes to the way employers schedule employee work shifts. Several states have new rules regarding shift schedules as well. These changes mostly ensure that employees have ample time to make arrangements for the other parts of their lives when schedules change. Typically, employers should post one or two weeks’ advance notice of schedule changes before the first day of the schedule.

Employees must also be compensated for a rest period between shift changes, unless the employee volunteers to work during the period they should have had off. The new rules also require that employers retain records of shift schedules for a set period of time.

Labor and employment law attorneys

It can be hard to stay current with all of the federal and state laws employers must follow. If you need more information on the 2019 labor law changes and how they can impact your business for the coming year, an attorney can assist you.

Contact Brown & Fortunato, P.C. to get more information and to speak with one of our experienced Labor and Employment attorneys. You can call us at (833) 228-6300 or Send Us an Email today.