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President's Message

    June 9, 2016

    Hello Summer!

    Department of Labor has finally released the new overtime rules that are effective December 1, 2016.  Specifics on the new rules:

    Employers must pay overtime (time and a half) for work beyond 40 hours in a week to all workers earning up to $913 per week or $47,476 annually.

    So, what does this mean for you?

    If you currently earn $47,476 or more: This doesn’t change anything for you.

    If you currently earn less than $47,476 and are currently classified as non-exempt (meaning you’ve been legally required to get overtime pay all along): This doesn’t change anything for you.

    If you currently earn less than $47,476 and are exempt (meaning you previously haven’t been subject to overtime laws): You’re in the group impacted by this. You will now be required to receive overtime pay (time and a half) for any hours over 40 that you work in a week. You will also be required to start tracking your hours, including things like logging into your work email from home.

    Please join us for a Lunch & Learn program on June 20 about these new Department of Labor regulations regarding classification of exempt employees under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act. Attorneys from Ogden Murphy Wallace will discuss the new salary rule, review exempt classification requirements, and provide options for compliance by December 1, 2016. Additionally, we will discuss the new piece-rate wage & hour requirements in light of new rulings by the Washington Supreme Court and provide guidance on compliance. Additional information and registration information is on our website under Events at avhra.shrm.org

    As always, we welcome your attendance at our monthly board meetings, held on the 2nd Thursday of each month at the main Chelan PUD offices from 7am-8am. We’ll resume our meetings August 11 after a summer break and we’ll be focusing our efforts on succession planning for a variety of AVHRA board positions open in 2017. Transition will be important for key roles being vacated by current board members – if you have any interest in exploring opportunities, we encourage you to contact co-presidents, Ruth Erwert or Reagan Bellamy for more information and please join us for the August board meeting.

    Also, don’t forget to designate AVHRA as your home chapter; when you designate us as your chapter, SHRM provides financial support to assist us in being able to provide you with the programs and certification credits you want. 

    Please make sure to visit our website frequently.  We have information regarding our programs as well as local, regional, and national HR conferences. We look forward to seeing you at an upcoming meeting or event!