“The Fair Labor Standards Act: Preparing for Implementation of the New White Collar Overtime Exemption Rule”

Thursday, September 1, 2016:

Topic:   “The Fair Labor Standards Act:  Preparing for Implementation of the New White Collar Overtime Exemption Rule”

Pre-Approved for 1.25 general SHRM credits, HRCI credits pending

Description:  

On May 18, 2016, the United States Department of Labor issued its Final Rule on Changes to the White Collar Exemptions under the Fair Labor Standards Act, affecting many overtime-exempt employees as of December 1, 2016.  This program is designed to focus human resource professionals on the “right” issues to address ahead of the Final Rule’s effective date.  While most employers are aware that the minimum salary to meet the executive, administrative, and professional (“White Collar”) exemptions increased from $455 per week ($23,660.00 annualized) to $913 per week ($47,476.00 annualized), “fixing” the minimum salary alone will not assure compliance with the White Collar Exemption Rule.

Employers also must focus on the “duties test” to assure that the employee qualifies for exempt status.  The USDOL estimates that 732,000 white collar salaried workers do not meet the “duties test” and are presently entitled to overtime, yet their employers fail to recognize them as non-exempt.  As a result of the new Final Rule, the USDOL also estimates that approximately $1.2 billion per year of additional wages will be paid to employees over the first ten years that the new Rule is implemented. 

This program is intended to provide human resource professionals with an understanding of the new Rule, as well as review the existing duties tests.   Learning objectives are:

Ø      Understanding White Collar classifications, including the duties and the new salary basis tests;

Ø      Review of key personnel policies and benefits impacted by the new Final Rule, including working at home and benefit eligible classes;

Ø      How to calculate overtime for non-exempt salaried employees; 

Ø      The Highly Compensated Employee Exemption;

Ø      State law considerations;

Ø      How to address morale concerns arising from job re-classification from overtime ineligible to overtime eligible status; and

Ø      Understanding the new rules relating to non-discretionary payments to satisfy the salary level thresholds.  

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Our Speakers:  Debra Dyleski-Najjar, Najjar Employment Law Group, PC and Andrea Chatfield, Cook, Little, Rosenblatt and Manson.

Debra Dyleski-Najjar, Esq. has practiced employment and benefits law for over thirty years. In April, 2008, she founded the Najjar Employment Law Group, PC,  as a labor, employment and benefits boutique firm with offices in Boston and North Andover.  Prior to forming NELGPC, she was an equity partner in a large Boston firm, and brings her big firm experience to clients in counseling as well as in litigation matters.

Due to Ms. Najjar’s significant professional accomplishments, in 2007, she was nominated by her peers and inducted as a Fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers.  Ms. Najjar has received an AV Martindale-Hubbell rating,  and is a credentialed member of the American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries (ASPPA).  She   has been recognized as a New England Super Lawyer each year since 2007, a recognition bestowed on only the top 5% of attorneys in New England.

She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Greater Lawrence Family Health Center, a member of the Business Leaders of the Boys & Girls Club of Lawrence, past vice-chair of the NH Women’s Business Center, and a current member of Women of Hope (f/k/a Great Women to Know).  She is admitted to practice in the state and federal courts of New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Maine, and admitted to the United States Supreme Court

Andrea G. Chatfield, Esq. is an attorney at Cook, Little, Rosenblatt & Manson, p.l.l.c. in Manchester, NH where she provides advice and guidance to employers on risk management issues in the workplace.  She represents employers of all types and sizes before administrative agencies in discrimination, whistleblower, unemployment, and wage disputes.  She conducts in-house trainings for employers, and serves as an outside investigator for employers who need to respond to highly sensitive internal complaints of discrimination and harassment. 

Andrea frequently is a public speaker on employment law topics, and recently authored the New Hampshire employment law chapter for the Navigator series of state laws offered by Lexology (an innovative, web-based service) and the Association of Corporate Counsel. 

Andrea is admitted to practice in both New Hampshire and Massachusetts, and she has earned an “AV” rating from Martindale Hubbell.  Andrea is listed in Chambers USA as one of the leading employment lawyers in New Hampshire and in Best Lawyers of America for employment law - management.  In addition, she also serves on the Board of Directors of the Manchester Area Human Resources Association and is on the Personnel Advisory Committee for the Manchester Community Health Center.

Our Sponsor:

Gretchen Uhas has been providing customized Microsoft training classes to businesses in New Hampshire and Massachusetts for over 16 years.  She is a Microsoft Office Master Instructor and has a degree in education.  Gretchen holds classes at your location, setting up a training lab with her notebook PCs, projector, and screen.  Classes are held in ½ day segments so your employees can get only as much information as they can digest in one sitting and are still available for a half day's work.  Gretchen will customize a class to cover only the topics that you determine are needed and each participant receives an after-class reference manual that covers the topics from the class.  Dashboard University is the newest offering from Uhas Computer Training.  Excel Dashboards usually fits on one page; they display key trends, comparisons, and data graphically; and they provide the reader with conclusions relevant to the objective so that the reader does not have to do their own analysis to find the meaning.

Uhas Computer Training

www.UhasCT.com

Schedule:  

8:00 AM - 8:30 AM Check-In & Networking
8:30 AM - 8:45 AM Welcome New Members & Guests

8:45 AM - 9:00 AM Chapter Business / Legislative Update
9:00 AM - 9:10 AM Sponsor
9:10 AM -10:30 AM Program

LOCATION: Elder Services of the Merrimack Valley,

 280 Merrimack St, 4^th Floor, Suite 400, Lawrence, MA, (Entrance North B)

More information and online registration:

For more information:

Contact: Carolyn Foster
Phone: 603-489-9535
Email:  alwayscarolyn@gmail.com