Por Bárbara Pérsico
En esta noticia
In the United States, the official holiday calendar includes 11 annual dates when various private-sector businesses, nonessential government offices, and bank branches change their usual operations to observe commemorative occasions.
With that in mind, it is essential for those who must remain at work during these days to know what federal law says about how pay should be handled and the minimum amount that hours worked beyond the schedule set in the contract must equal.
Working on holidays: the law says employers are not required to pay extra
The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) says employers have no legal obligation to pay a premium to workers who work weekends, holidays, or days off.
On these specific dates, workers are paid what they are owed for the hours worked, unless extra pay has been agreed to in the contract and specifically spelled out.
Overtime in the United States: it must be 1.5 times a worker’s usual pay
This rule, overseen by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division, applies to all nonexempt employees who work more than 40 hours in a single workweek.
The rule is that each hour of overtime must be paid at least 1.5 times the usual rate and applies only to hours beyond the regular schedule.
“An employee who earns $8.00 an hour and works 44 hours in a workweek is entitled to at least time and a half of $8.00, or $12.00, for each hour worked over 40 hours. Their pay that week would be $320 for the first 40 hours, and $48.00 for the four hours of overtime, for a total of $368.00,” authorities say.
The U.S. government’s official calculator can be used to get an idea of how much this extra pay should be.
What are the 11 holidays observed in the United States?
According to USA.gov, the 11 special dates are:
- New Year’s Day
- Martin Luther King Jr. Day
- Presidents Day
- Memorial Day
- Juneteenth
- Independence Day
- Labor Day
- Columbus Day
- Veterans Day
- Thanksgiving Day
- Christmas Day