3 Wage and Hour Changes Under the Trump Administration

President Donald Trump's administration promised to make changes in wage and hour initiatives and to scale back regulations. So what's different after the first two years of Trump's presidency? Speaking at the American Bar Association's 2018 Labor and Employment Conference Nov. 9, a panel of attorneys identified three areas that employers should note. 1. Opinion Letters The Department of Labor (DOL) has resumed the use of opinion letters that describe how the agency would enforce federal wage and hour laws in specific circumstances presented by an employer, worker or other party who requests the opinion. The department stopped issuing these letters in 2010 and replaced them with more general guidance. Opinion letters are official statements from DOL that "cover a variety of topics, and they are very specific," said Janet Herold, regional solicitor for the DOL in San Francisco. There is a safe harbor for employers if they can show that they relied on an opinion letter even if they were not the party that requested the letter. Employers who have questions about complying with federal wage and hour laws should ask the DOL for an opinion before enforcement agents knock on their door or an employee files a claim, Herold said.