It seems employers may have received an early holiday present from a judge in Texas. Judge Amos Mazzant of the Eastern District of Texas has issued a nationwide injunction stopping the implementation of the new rules applicable to the White Collar Exemptions under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The new rules, originally scheduled to go into effect on December 1, 2016, would have required employers to raise exempt employees ‘ salaries to meet the new threshold of $913 weekly or $47,476 annually or reclassify them as non-exempt. Essentially, the rules have now been delayed for employers, for now!
What does this injunction mean for you, employers? Employers may now have options depending on whether they have already taken steps to implement the new rules. If you have already made changes and communicated them to employees, it would be best to consult with employment law counsel prior to changing anything back. If you have not yet made any changes, you no longer need to make those changes by December 1, 2016. We will continue to keep this website updated on this issue. But, in the interim, feel free to contact us 404.410.3075 (Direct) or 770.952.5000 (Firm) with any questions or any request for an audit to ensure compliance.