The Department of Labor acted within its authority in requiring employers to pay a minimum salary to employees who are classified as exempt from federal minimum wage and overtime requirements, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled September 11 in Mayfield v. DOL.
A unanimous three-judge panel noted that DOL has included a minimum-salary requirement in the white-collar exemption to the Fair Labor Standards Act for more than 80 years. The court observed that Congress has implied its acceptance of a minimum salary test by amending the FLSA many times without modifying or foreclosing the minimum salary rule.