Update on Federal Overtime Regulations

Last week, I shared news with you that the U.S. Department of Labor has announced changes to regulations for paying overtime under the Fair Labor Standards Act. I would like to follow up on my initial message and share more information about the changes and their impact on our University and our employees.

The new regulations mean that most employees paid less than $47,476 a year will become non-exempt Dec. 1, 2016. They will receive overtime pay or paid time off (comp time) for hours worked in excess of 40 in a workweek. Compliance with the new regulations may also involve adjustments to work schedules, time recording and annual leave accrual and carry-over rates. Benefits such as sick leave, retirement, insurance, educational assistance and longevity pay are not impacted by these changes.
 
We estimate that about 1,200 of our approximately 19,000 employees will be directly affected. Campus and institute leaders and human resources officers are working to confirm affected employees based on the more than 500 pages of regulations and guidance provided by the federal government. Supervisors of affected employees will be contacted by human resources as quickly as possible and given information about the changes to share with individuals.
 
Immediate questions and concerns can be directed to campus and institute human resources officers. Contact information is available on the dedicated website created to answer anticipated questions and archive information as it becomes available. Once finalized, tools and training resources for supervisors and affected employees will be added. We want to make sure we answer your questions and help you through this process, so please give us feedback through the website.