Amy DeBisschop 
Division of Regulations, Legislation, and  Interpretation 
Wage and Hour Division  
U.S. Department of Labor, Room S-3502 
200 Constitution Avenue NW 
Washington, D.C. 20210 

Comments on RIN 1235-AA37: Rescission of Joint Employer Status Under the Fair Labor Standards Act  

Dear Ms. DeBisschop: 

On March 12, 2021, the Department of Labor (“Department” or “DOL”) published Rescission of Joint Employer Status Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, RIN 1235-AA37 (“notice”), which seeks comments on DOL’s proposal to rescind the final rule interpreting joint employment under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“joint employer rule”). 

The National Employment Lawyers Association (“NELA”) supports the Department’s proposed rulemaking to rescind the joint employer rule because it is contrary to the express terms and purposes of the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA” or “the Act”). The rule, struck down by a federal court in large part, ignores a statutory definition, Supreme Court authority, and decades of federal Circuit Court precedent with a test that would encompass almost no subcontracting companies, and would especially hurt those low-wage workers who need the protections of the FLSA the most: those who are placed in jobs via temp or staffing agencies, and those, including children, who work in heavily contracted janitorial, construction, … Read More