What to Know about DOL’s New FLSA, FMLA Opinion Letters

In an article for Law360, Woods Rogers’ Principals and management-side employment lawyers Leah Stiegler and Fred Schutt break down recently released opinion letters from the U.S. Department of Labor that cover the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).

“While DOL opinion letters do not carry the force of law, they provide valuable insight into how the agency interprets and enforces key compliance requirements under the FLSA and FMLA,” Leah and Fred write.

“These new letters are a helpful reminder that relatively common practices — such as reclassifying employees, paying incentive bonuses and administering intermittent leave — can create significant risk if they are handled inconsistently or without careful documentation,” the authors note.

Read more in the copy here (PDF) or on Law360 here.