In 1938 Congress enacted the Fair Labor Standards Act to protect employees engaged in interstate commerce from substandard wages and excessive working hours. The Act achieves its purpose by prescribing a maximum workweek of 40 hours for an employee engaged in commerce, unless the employee is paid at the rate of one and one half times the regular rate of compensation for all hours worked over 40, and by prescribing a minimum wage for all employees engaged in interstate commerce. The Act also requires equal pay for equal work regardless of gender, and restricts the employment of underage children.
The Act initially covered only those employees "engaged in commerce or in the production of goods for commerce." Congress greatly expanded the Act's coverage in 1961 by amending the Act to cover "enterprises" as well as individual employees. The Act now provides that employers must pay the minimum ...
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