The latest regulatory agenda shows four wage-hour items on the
U.S. Labor Department's (USDOL) plate. In addition to
revisiting the federal Fair Labor Standards Act's (FLSA)
white-collar exemptions and tips-related regulations (as we
discussed
last year and
last month, respectively), USDOL intends to publish
proposed rules later this year on child labor restrictions
and the regular rate.
Child Labor
The FLSA's child labor restrictions, including the hazardous
occupations orders, currently provide limited exceptions for
apprentices and student learners under certain circumstances
(i.e., not your typical youth employment scenario). The
USDOL plans to consider whether these exceptions to certain child
labor restrictions should be expanded to allow for more safe,
"meaningful" opportunities: a need which benefits the
future workforce and help abate a common complaint among employers
that "youth" are not pursuing some vocations. Notably,
although the abstract
