[Publib] compensation for librarian-run book groups/programs?

[Judith Turner]

Michael -- 

Just wanted to add a few notes to an earlier message about FLSA and the requirement that staff be compensated for time spent on programming or book discussion groups.

Originally the legislation was written to cover migrant farmers and other non-unionized workers; over time it was expanded to cover nearly every category of employment in the U.S.  In the 1980's state and local government employees were added to covered groups and a few years ago, it was finally extended to the last big category - Federal government employees.

Top management and certain categories of professionals are exempted from coverage; some levels of health care workers and emergency services personnel are exempt.  Some employers have made been able to exempt other groups of professional employees (generally with management responsibilities) but this varies from employer to employer and can depend on how large the workforce is and how finely they want to define the categories.  

Be aware that FLSA specifically forbids employees from volunteering their time to do normal job duties.  If you are doing a one-time special event, you can probably ask staff to volunteer their time without violating the law, but if the event is part of a series or an ongoing program, volunteering is not permitted for employees covered by FLSA.

Judy Turner
Whitefish Bay, WI
 
       
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