Quite a few states abide by federal wage and hour laws. These laws help improve the working conditions for all employees and also help employers run their organizations in an efficient manner.
According to federal wage and hour laws the minimum wage standard is $5.15 per hour. Tipped employees receive 2.13 per hour plus tips. If the tips and hourly rate for tipped employees combined does not equal minimum wage employers are expected to make up the difference.
Workers with mental and physical disabilities are not required to be paid the full minimum wage rate. They often will be paid less than the federal standard at a rate that has been considered fair for them. This condition only applies if the disability actually affects the level at which that person can perform.
Federal wage and hour laws include provisions for breaks and overtime as well. For instance, an employer must pay for any breaks between 5 and 20 minutes in length that are given to an employee. However, employees are not required to give meal breaks, which are usually approximately 30 minutes long. In addition, federal wage and hour laws hours require payment 1 ½ times the regular rate of pay per hour for any hours worked over 40 hours per week. Some exceptions to this rule apply, which are listed in federal law documentation.
Employers who follow federal wage and hour laws are required to make sure that minors only work under certain restrictions. For example, 14 and 15 year olds may not work more than 3 hours a night on a school day or more than 18 hours within a school week. Limits apply to 16 and 17 year old minors as well, although they are permitted to work more types of jobs than the younger aged workers are allowed to work. Those that are 16 and 17 years of age also can usually work longer hours than 14 and 15 year olds.
All federal wage and hour laws are written to help keep employees aware of their rights and responsibilities, and they help provide guidelines for employers to follow. Exceptions do exist to this rule and these can be found within federal law regarding wages and hours.
