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Payment and Extra Work

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) states that the basic pay rate in the United States is $7.25 per hour. If a state’s minimum rate is higher, employees get the higher pay. Many states have set this higher than the federal level.

Workers who are not exempt and are under FLSA rules earn at least one and a half times their regular pay for extra hours over 40 in a week. There are also various rules on what counts as working time, how employers should keep records, and child labor laws meant to protect young workers. These regulations ensure a fair and balanced working environment.

Salaried vs. Hourly Workers

Workers fall into two main groups: salaried and hourly. These groups are defined by various rules, including those from the FLSA and individual state laws. Clarifying their roles helps them know their rights and responsibilities.

Hourly Workers: This group gets at least the minimum pay and extra pay for overtime hours worked. Employers must pay one and a half times the regular rate for extra hours. If they don’t, workers can file a claim through the Department of Labor. Most workers who are paid by the hour are in this group.

Salaried Workers: These do not have the same rights to extra pay under FLSA. Certain roles, like sales staff, computer professionals, agricultural workers, and managerial positions, are among exceptions.

Salaried workers must earn at least $35,568 yearly and be paid a set amount instead of by the hour, among other conditions. Managerial roles need workers to manage different areas and supervise at least two others, among other tasks.

Administrative positions need to do office work tied to guiding a business or its activities. Professional roles include jobs needing advanced know-how or creativity, like doctors, teachers, and artists. Some special exceptions apply to tech professionals or outside sales staff. These do not qualify for the protections hourly workers get.

Non-eligible Roles: Manual labor roles aren’t included in the salaried exception group. Builders, repair workers, craftsmen, and routine workers get standard pay and overtime next to emergency responders and public safety workers.

Short History of Time Tracking

The use of clocks to track work started in the late 1800s with the clock card. This was because bosses needed better time-tracking tools due to industry growth.

The first device, the Rochester Time Recorder, was created in 1894 by Daniel M. Cooper. It ensured each worker had recorded clock-ins and outs.

Earlier inventions, like the Bundy Key Recorder and Dey’s Dial Recorder, were early gadgets to record hours. In the 1900s, large firms like IBM developed new ways to improve time tracking as industry and demand for such tech grew.