2019 -- S 0747

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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 - MINIMUM WAGES

     

     Introduced By: Senators Lombardi, Ciccone, Gallo, Lynch Prata, and Ruggerio

     Date Introduced: April 03, 2019

     Referred To: Senate Labor

     It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

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     SECTION 1. Section 28-12-4.1 of the General Laws in Chapter 28-12 entitled "Minimum

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Wages" is hereby amended to read as follows:

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     28-12-4.1. Overtime pay.

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     (a) Except as otherwise provided in this chapter, no employer shall employ any employee

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for a workweek longer than forty (40) hours unless the employee is compensated at a rate of one

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and one-half (1 1/2) times the regular rate at which he or she is employed for all hours worked in

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excess of forty (40) hours per week. Provided however, employers that pay any delivery drivers

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or sales merchandisers an overtime rate of compensation for hours worked in excess of forty (40)

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hours in any one week shall not calculate such overtime rate of compensation by fluctuating

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workweek method of overtime payment under 29 C.F.R. § 778.114.

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     (b) In any workweek in which an employee of a retail business is employed on a Sunday

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and/or a holiday at a rate of one and one-half (1 1/2) times the regular rate at which he or she is

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employed as provided in § 5-23-2, the hours worked on the Sunday and/or holiday shall be

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excluded from the calculation of overtime pay as required by this section.

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     (c) No city, town or fire district shall employ any "firefighter," as defined in § 28-9.1-3,

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excluding however civilian employees, for an average workweek longer than forty-two (42) hours

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unless the firefighter is compensated at the rate of one and one-half (1 1/2) times his or her

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regular rate, for all hours worked in excess of forty-two (42) hours based upon an average

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workweek. An average workweek shall be calculated utilizing the prior consecutive eight (8)

 

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week period, based upon a seven (7) day workweek. For the purposes of this section, "hours

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worked" shall include all paid leave.

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

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

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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 - MINIMUM WAGES

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     This act would remove the overtime exemption for firefighters unless they are paid at the

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rate of one and one-half (1 1/2) times their regular rate for all hours worked in excess of forty-two

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(42) hours.

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

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

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

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