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US Labor orients nonresident workers on FLSA regulations
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Posted on Feb 08 2005
By Marconi Calindas
Reporter
When an employer deducts from the wage of an employee the cost of a required uniform or cash shortages on cash machines, the employer is violating the law.
This was just one of the information provided by the U.S. Department of Labor–Saipan Field Office to nonresident workers during a presentation held last Friday at the Philippine Overseas Labor Office.
The two-hour seminar on the Fair Labor Standards Act was conducted by guest speaker Louie Cabuhat from the Wage & Hour Division of the department.
The seminar was attended by more than 30 overseas Filipino workers currently working on Saipan. The event aimed to inform and remind the nonresident workers of labor laws being implemented on Saipan.
The seminar tackled issues focusing on minimum wage and overtime pay.
Cabuhat said the FLSA also covers employees of any company that is engaged in interstate commerce, production of goods for interstate commerce, handling, selling, or otherwise working on goods or materials that have been moved in or produced.
He reminded that employees must be paid no less than the minimum wage—$3.05 per hour—for all hours worked. Wages can be in the form of a salary either through an hourly pay, commissions, piece rate and other earnings.
Deductions from these wages should be carefully noted by the employees, Cabuhat said.
Cabuhat stressed that deductions made primarily for the benefit or convenience of the employer for such items like cash or merchandise shortages, employer-required uniforms and tools of the trade are illegal. The deductions will reduce the wages of employees below the required minimum wage or the overtime pay due.
The presentation ended with a question-and-answer portion where the nonresident workers asked about their concerns.
