2019 -- H 5663

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LC001756

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2019

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A N   A C T

RELATING TO LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS

     Introduced By: Representative John G. Edwards

     Date Introduced: February 27, 2019

     Referred To: House Labor

     It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

     SECTION 1. Section 28-12-4.3 of the General Laws in Chapter 28-12 entitled "Minimum

Wages" is hereby amended to read as follows:

     28-12-4.3. Exemptions.

     (a) The provisions of §§ 28-12-4.1 and 28-12-4.2 do not apply to the following

employees:

     (1) Any employee of a summer camp when it is open no more than six (6) months of the

year.

     (2) Police officers, firefighters, and rescue service personnel employed by the cities and

towns.

     (3) Employees of the state or political subdivision of the state who may elect through a

collective bargaining agreement, memorandum of understanding, or any other agreement between

the employer and representatives of the employees, or if the employees are not represented by an

exclusive bargaining agent, through an agreement or understanding arrived at between the

employer and the employee prior to the performance of work, to receive compensatory time off

for hours worked in excess of forty (40) in a week. The compensatory hours shall at least equal

one and one half (1 1/2) times the hours worked over forty (40) in a week. If compensation is paid

to an employee for accrued compensatory time, the compensation shall be paid at the regular rate

earned by the employee at the time of payment. At the time of termination, unused accrued

compensatory time shall be paid at a rate not less than:

     (i) The average regular rate received by the employee during the last three (3) years of the

employee's employment, or

     (ii) The final regular rate received by the employee, whichever is higher.

     (4) Any employee employed in a bona fide executive, administrative, or professional

capacity, as defined by the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, 29 U.S.C. § 201 et seq.,

compensated for services on a salary basis of not less than two hundred dollars ($200) per week.

     (5) Any employee as defined in subparagraph (a)(4) of this section unless the wages of

the employee, if computed on an hourly basis, would violate the applicable minimum wage law.

     (6) Any salaried employee of a nonprofit national voluntary health agency who elects to

receive compensatory time off for hours worked in excess of forty (40) hours per week.

     (7) Any employee, including drivers, driver's helpers, mechanics, and loaders of any

motor carrier, including private carriers, with respect to whom the U.S. secretary of transportation

has power to establish qualifications and maximum hours of service pursuant to the provisions of

49 U.S.C. § 3102.

     (8) Any employee who is a salesperson, parts person, or mechanic primarily engaged in

the sale and/or servicing of automobiles, trucks or farm implements, and is employed by a non-

manufacturing employer primarily engaged in the business of selling vehicles or farm implements

to ultimate purchasers, to the extent that the employers are exempt under the federal Wage-Hour

and Equal Pay Act, 29 U.S.C. § 201 et seq. and 29 U.S.C. § 213(b)(10); provided, that the

employee's weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly actual earnings exceed an amount equal to the

employee's basic contractual hourly rate of pay times the number of hours actually worked plus

the employee's basic contractual hourly rate of pay times one-half (1/2) the number of hours

actually worked in excess of forty (40) hours per week.

     (9) Any employee employed in agriculture; however, this exemption applies to all

agricultural enterprises that produce greenhouse crops, fruit and vegetable crops, herbaceous

crops, sod crops, viticulture, viniculture, floriculture, feed for livestock, forestry, dairy farming,

aquaculture, the raising of livestock, furbearing animals, poultry and eggs, bees and honey,

mushrooms, and nursery stock. This exemption also applies to nursery workers.

     (10) Any employee of an air carrier subject to the provisions of title 45 U.S.C. § 181 et

seq., of the Railway Labor Act when the hours worked by such employee in excess of forty (40)

in a work week are not required by the air carrier, but are arranged through a voluntary agreement

among employees to trade scheduled work hours.

     (b) Nothing in this section exempts any employee who under applicable federal law is

entitled to overtime pay or benefits related to overtime pay.

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     SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage, except that the terms of current

firefighters' collective bargaining agreements that conflict with this act shall remain in effect until

the contract expires when the act shall begin to apply to those covered firefighters.

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EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

A N   A C T

RELATING TO LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS

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     This act would remove the overtime exemption for firefighters and rescue service

personnel employed by the cities and towns.

     This act would take effect upon passage, except that the terms of current firefighters'

collective bargaining agreements that conflict with this act would remain in effect until the

contract expires when the act would begin to apply to those covered firefighters.

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