UGA updates procedure on FLSA

An email to staffers at the University of Georgia tells them to continue to clock in and out in compliance with the federal overtime pay law that has been put on hold by a federal judge. UGA, like other employers around the state and across the country, are trying to figure out how to move forward in the aftermath of that judicial decision.

The following message is being cross posted on various group email lists.

TO:                  Faculty and Staff

FROM:            Juan A. Jarrett, Associate Vice President for Human Resources

SUBJECT:       FLSA Update

As many of you have heard, last week, a U.S. District Court judge issued a preliminary injunction prohibiting the U.S. Department of Labor from enforcing its new Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) overtime regulations. Prior to this injunction, all employers across the nation were required to comply with the rule change by December 1, 2016; thus, the University implemented the rule change November 17th.

While the preliminary injunction may be challenged and potentially overturned, it is uncertain how long the process may take. In the meantime, pending final resolution, UGA has received guidance and is proceeding with the following interim steps for University staff:

1.   Any FLSA-related salary changes will remain in effect.

2.   All staff converted to non-exempt on November 17th must continue to report their time worked in Kronos, the University’s time record system, until further notice; accurate time records are necessary to

calculate the December 8th paycheck.

3.  Working with UGA units, University Human Resources will be analyzing staff positions that were converted to non-exempt due to the salary test under the new regulations and will identify any positions that should

now be moved back to exempt status.

We regret any uncertainty this is creating and will communicate with the University community if additional information becomes available.