News & Analysis as of

Opinion Letter Department of Labor (DOL)

Fisher Phillips

Return of the PAID Program: Here’s What Employers Need to Know as DOL Reinstates Back Wage Payment Option

Fisher Phillips on

The US Department of Labor’s latest update rewards employers that proactively resolve potential wage and hour claims and obtain approval of their investigation and resolution. The DOL’s Wage and Hour Division first introduced...more

Ary Rosenbaum - The Rosenbaum Law Firm P.C.

DOL changes opinion letter program

The Department of Labor just announced that its Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) is giving its opinion letter program a much-needed facelift. For those of us who’ve been around the retirement plan block a few...more

Fisher Phillips

Workplace Law Update: 10 Essential Items on Your July To-Do List

Fisher Phillips on

It’s hard to keep up with all the recent changes to labor and employment law, especially since the law always seems to evolve at a rapid pace. To ensure you stay on top of the latest changes and have an action plan for...more

FordHarrison

DOL Relaunches Opinion Letter Program Amid Shifting Enforcement Priorities

FordHarrison on

On June 2, 2025, the Department of Labor (DOL) launched its Opinion Letter program. Opinion Letters are official written responses from the DOL that explain how it would apply statutes and regulations under particular facts...more

Bass, Berry & Sims PLC

DOL Announces Enforcement Position on Independent Contractor Rule

Bass, Berry & Sims PLC on

On May 1, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued a Field Assistance Bulletin announcing that the Wage and Hour Division (WHD) will no longer enforce the 2024 independent contractor Final Rule previously established by the...more

Conn Maciel Carey LLP

Leadership Updates and a New Opinion Letter Program Confirm the U.S. Department of Labor’s Increased Focus on Compliance...

Conn Maciel Carey LLP on

The U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) recently named several political appointments to its Wage and Hour Division (“WHD”). Employers know WHD is an entity with vast enforcement authority, including over minimum wage and...more

Fisher Phillips

DOL Reboots Opinion Letter Program to Offer Guidance on Wage and Hour, Workplace Safety, and More

Fisher Phillips on

The US Department of Labor just relaunched and significantly expanded its opinion letter program, offering employers across five enforcement agencies a direct line to legal interpretations of federal laws on wage and hour,...more

Jackson Lewis P.C.

New DOL/EBSA Opinion Letter Program Offers A Path to Clarity for Plan Sponsors

Jackson Lewis P.C. on

On June 2, 2025, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced a significant expansion of its compliance assistance tools by launching an Opinion Letter Program across five key enforcement agencies, including the Employee...more

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

“Dear DOL”: Labor Department Re-Launches Opinion Letter Program

Seyfarth Shaw LLP on

In a welcome development for employers navigating complex federal employment laws, the U.S. Department of Labor has announced the re-launch of its opinion letter program across several agencies, including the Wage and Hour...more

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,...

Trump Administration Proposes Elimination of OFCCP, Launches New Opinion Letter Program for Labor Guidance

The Trump administration plans to completely eliminate the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) and transfer the agency’s remaining authority to enforce protections in federal contractors for veterans and...more

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,...

Department of Labor Announces Expansion of Interpretation Letters Initiative

On June 2, 2025, Deputy Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling announced a renewed and expanded commitment by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to the issuance of interpretation letters—commonly referred to as opinion letters...more

Troutman Pepper Locke

Trump Administration Reissues 2019 Opinion Letter on Independent Contractors and Virtual Marketplace Companies

Troutman Pepper Locke on

The U.S. Department of Labor re-issued an Opinion Letter on the issue of independent contractor (IC) status of an on-demand virtual marketplace company (VMC) that refers end-market consumers to service providers who offer...more

BakerHostetler

DOL Advises that Employers Cannot Require Use of PTO when Employees Are on FMLA Leave and Receiving Paid Statutory Benefits

BakerHostetler on

On Jan. 14, just days before the change in administration, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued an opinion letter regarding the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) substitution rule, clarifying that employers cannot...more

Nilan Johnson Lewis PA

Department of Labor: Managers Must Keep Their Fingers Out of the Tip Jar – Even When They Helped Earn the Tips

Nilan Johnson Lewis PA on

The DOL Wage & Hour Division issued its first Opinion Letter of 2025 (FLSA2025-1) on January 14, 2025, stating that managers and supervisors, no matter their duties during a particular shift, cannot participate in employee...more

Bowditch & Dewey

Recent Shifts in Wage and Hour Law – Paid Time Off During FMLA Leave and Exempt Employee Status Challenges

Bowditch & Dewey on

January brought two legal updates in the wage and hour space. Read on! PROHIBITING THE MANDATORY USE OF PAID TIME OFF DURING CERTAIN FMLA LEAVES - On January 14, 2025, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour...more

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,...

DOL Clarifies That Managers and Supervisors Can’t Wear Two Hats When It Comes to Tips

On January 14, 2025, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued Opinion Letter FLSA2025-1 pertaining to managers’ participation in a tip pool at a “quick service restaurant.” ...more

Vedder Price

DOL Reaffirms That Managers And Supervisors May Not Participate In Tip Pools

Vedder Price on

On December 18, 2024, the DOL issued opinion letter FLSA2024-02, reaffirming its position that managers and supervisors are prohibited from participating in tip pools under any circumstances....more

Perkins Coie

DOL Clarifies Daily Expense Reimbursement Payments and Exclusions from Regular Calculations for Overtime Pay

Perkins Coie on

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) recently issued an opinion letter addressing whether daily expense reimbursement payments can be excluded from an employee’s regular rate when calculating overtime...more

Steptoe & Johnson PLLC

Participation in Clinical Trial is FMLA-Protected, DOL Says

Steptoe & Johnson PLLC on

On November 8, the Department of Labor (DOL) issued an opinion letter addressing an interesting question under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA): Can an employee take FMLA leave to participate in a clinical trial for...more

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,...

DOL’s Wage and Hour Division Weighs in on FMLA Use for Clinical Trials

In an opinion letter dated November 8, 2024, the Wage and Hour Division of the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) responded to a question posed by an organization dedicated to finding a cure for specific diseases. ...more

Jackson Lewis P.C.

DOL Opinion Letter Addresses Expense Reimbursement and Regular Rate

Jackson Lewis P.C. on

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has released an opinion letter addressing whether per diem expense payments for tools and equipment may be excluded from the hourly rate when calculating overtime pay under the Fair Labor...more

Fox Rothschild LLP

What Is Included In The Regular Rate For Overtime Calculation? The Ninth Circuit Weighs In

Fox Rothschild LLP on

I am always interested in cases that analyze what payments should and should not be included in the regular rate. These issues are important to employers because their overtime liability/exposure can be dramatically inflated...more

McGlinchey Stafford

What do recent DOL opinions on FMLA mean for intermittent leave and holidays?

McGlinchey Stafford on

The Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) allows an employee to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid and job-protected leave for qualifying family and medical reasons. The FMLA also requires employers to maintain health benefits while an...more

Steptoe & Johnson PLLC

DOL Says Holiday Weeks Could Be a Potential FMLA Land Mine

Steptoe & Johnson PLLC on

For many, Labor Day weekend represents the last bastion of summer. It also ushers in a season of holidays, celebrations, and shortened workweeks throughout fall and winter. However, employers that deal with the year-round...more

Jackson Lewis P.C.

What Retailers Can Take Away From Labor Department Opinion Letter on FMLA Leave and Holidays

Jackson Lewis P.C. on

The Wage and Hour Division of the Department of Labor (DOL) has advised in an opinion letter on calculating Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leave when employees take off part of a week during which a holiday falls that...more

314 Results
 / 
View per page
Page: of 13

"My best business intelligence, in one easy email…"

Your first step to building a free, personalized, morning email brief covering pertinent authors and topics on JD Supra:
*By using the service, you signify your acceptance of JD Supra's Privacy Policy.
- hide
- hide