Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)
The Fair Labor Standards Act is a federal law that governs minimum wage, overtime pay, child labor and recordkeeping requirements. Introduced by President Roosevelt in 1938, the FLSA is currently enforced and overseen by the Wage and Hour Division (WHD) of the United States Department of Labor.
For BGSU, the law helps to determine:
- What positions are administrative and are exempt from overtime. These are exemptions based on job duties.
- And, which are classified and are eligible for federal calculated overtime rates and compensatory time.
Further, the act helps to define the work week, the hourly federal minimum wage, how to compute overtime pay, and equal pay among employees. Failure to comply with the FLSA regulations carries substantial legal risk.
In addition, there are a number of related employment issues and practices that the FLSA does not regulate.
For example, the FLSA does not require:
- Vacation, holiday, severance, or sick pay;
- Meal or rest periods;
- Premium pay for weekends or holidays worked;
- Pay raises or fringe benefits; or
- A discharge notice, reason for discharge, or immediate payment of final wages to terminated employees.
How the Fair Labor Standards Act affects BGSU, supervisors and employees:
Updated: 01/05/2026 03:49PM