Wisconsin Legislature: Chapter DWD 274

Chapter DWD 274

HOURS OF WORK AND OVERTIME

DWD 274.01 Definitions.

DWD 274.015 Applicability of chapter.

DWD 274.02 Hours of work.

DWD 274.03 Overtime pay.

DWD 274.04 Exemptions.

DWD 274.045 Interpretation of hours worked.

DWD 274.05 Waiver or modification.

DWD 274.06 Records.

DWD 274.07 Penalties.

DWD 274.08 Coverage of public employees.

History: Chapter Ind 74 as it existed on March 31, 1977 was repealed and a new chapter Ind 74 was created effective April 1, 1977. Chapter Ind 74 was renumbered chapter ILHR 274 under s. 13.93 (2m) (b) 1., Stats., Register, February, 1996, No. 482. Chapter ILHR 274 was renumbered chapter DWD 274 under s. 13.93 (2m) (b) 1., Stats., and corrections were made under s. 13.93 (2m) (b) 6. and 7., Stats., Register, May, 1997, No. 497.

DWD 274.01 Definitions.

(1) “Day” means a calendar day or a period of 24 consecutive hours.

(2) “Week” means a calendar week or a regular reoccurring period of 168 hours in the form of 7 consecutive 24 hour periods.

(3) “Regular” time means 40 hours of work per week.

(4) “Overtime” means hours in excess of 40 hours of work per week.

(5) “Mercantile” means “pertaining to merchants or trade,” and is synonymous with the word commercial. Commercial is viewed with regard to profit or designed for profit; designed for mass appeal, emphasizing skill and subjects useful in business. “Trade” means the business or work in which one engages regularly, an occupation requiring manual or mechanical skill; the persons engaged in an occupation, business, or industry, dealings between persons or groups; the business of buying and selling or bartering commodities or services; to do business with, to have dealings, to give one thing in exchange for another.

History: Cr. Register, March, 1977, No. 255, eff. 4-1-77; am. (1) to (4) and cr. (5), Register, December, 1980, No. 300, eff. 1-1-81; correction in (3) and (4) made under s. 13.93 (2m) (b) 7., Stats., Register, February, 1996, No. 482; CR 03-053: am. (3) and (4) Register November 2003 No. 575, eff. 12-1-2003.

DWD 274.015 Applicability of chapter. Pursuant to s. 103.01 (1), Stats., employees employed in manufactories, mechanical or mercantile establishments, beauty parlors, laundries, restaurants, confectionary stores, telegraph or telephone offices or exchanges or express or transportation establishments, hotels, and by the state, its political subdivisions and any office, department, independent agency, authority, institution, association, society or other body in state or local government created or authorized to be created by the constitution or any law, including the legislature and the courts, are covered by this chapter. Employees employed in domestic service in a household by a household are not subject to this chapter.

History: Cr. Register, December, 1980, No. 300, eff. 1-1-81; emerg. am. eff. 12-18-90; am. Register, August, 1991, No. 428, eff. 9-1-91; CR 03-053: am. Register November 2003 No. 575, eff. 12-1-2003.

DWD 274.02 Hours of work.

(1) No person shall be employed or be permitted to work in any place of employment or at any employment for such period or periods of time during any day, night or week as shall be dangerous or prejudicial to the life, health, safety or welfare of such person.

(2) It is recommended that each employer allow each employee, 18 years of age or over, at least 30 minutes for each meal period reasonably close to the usual meal period time (6:00 a.m., 12:00 noon, 6:00 p.m. or 12:00 midnight) or near the middle of a shift. Shifts of more than 6 consecutive hours without a meal period should be avoided.

Note: The above meal period requirements are mandatory for minors under 18 years of age.

(3) The employer shall pay all employees for on-duty meal periods, which are to be counted as work time. An on-duty meal period is a meal period where the employer does not provide at least 30 minutes free from work. Any meal period where the employee is not free to leave the premises of the employer will also be considered an on-duty meal period.

History: Cr. Register, March, 1977, No. 255, eff. 4-1-77; cr. (3), Register, February, 1992, No. 434, eff. 3-1-92.

DWD 274.03 Overtime pay. Except as provided in s. DWD 274.08, each employer subject to this chapter shall pay to each employee time and one-half the regular rate of pay for all hours worked in excess of 40 hours per week.

History: Cr. Register, March, 1977, No. 255, eff. 4-1-77; reprinted to correct printing error, Register, April, 1977, No. 256; am. Register, December, 1980, No. 300, eff. 1-1-81; emerg. am. eff. 12-18-90; am. Register, August, 1991, No. 428, eff. 9-1-91.

DWD 274.04 Exemptions. Except as provided in s. DWD 274.08, each employer subject to ch. DWD 274 shall be exempt from the overtime pay requirements in s. DWD 274.03 and these exemptions shall be interpreted in such a manner as to be consistent with the Federal Fair Labor Standards Act and the Code of Federal Regulations as amended, relating to the application of that act to all issues of overtime in respect to the following employees:

(1) Persons whose primary duty consists of administrative, executive or professional work.

(a) “Executive” means an employee employed in a bona fide executive capacity who meets the following criteria:

1. Whose primary duty consists of the management of the enterprise in which they are employed or of a customarily recognized department of subdivision thereof; and

2. Who customarily and regularly directs the work of 2 or more other employees therein; and

3. Who has the authority to hire or fire other employees or whose suggestions and recommendations as to the hiring or firing and as to the advancement and promotion or any other change of status of other employees will be given particular weight; and

4. Who customarily and regularly exercises discretionary powers; and

5. Who does not devote more than 20%, or in the case of an employee of a retail or service establishment who does not devote as much as 40%, of their hours of work in the workweek of activities which are not directly and closely related to the performance of the work described in subds. 1. through 4. provided, that this paragraph shall not apply in the case of an employee who is in sole charge of an independent establishment or a physically separated branch establishment, or who owns at least a 20% interest in the enterprise in which he is employed; and

6. Who is compensated for their services on a salary basis at a rate of not less than $700 per month.

(b) “Administrative” means an employee employed in a bona fide administrative capacity who meets the following criteria:

1. Whose primary duty consists of the performance of office or nonmanual work directly related to management policies or general business operations of their employer or their employer’s customers, or

2. Who customarily and regularly exercises discretion and independent judgment; and

a. Who regularly and directly assists a proprietor, or an employee employed in a bona fide executive or administrative capacity; or

b. Who performs under only general supervision work along specialized or technical lines requiring special training, experience, or knowledge, or

c. Who executes under only general supervision special assignments and tasks; and

4. Who does not devote more than 20%, or in the case of an employee of a retail or service establishment who does not devote as much as 40%, of their hours worked in the workweek to activities which are not directly and closely related to the performance of the work described in subds. 1. through 3.; and

5. Who is compensated for their services on a salary or fee basis at a rate of not less than $700 per month.

1. Whose primary duty consists of the performance of:

a. Work requiring knowledge of an advance type in a field of science or learning customarily acquired by a prolonged course of specialized intellectual instruction and study, as distinguished from a general academic education and from an apprenticeship, and from training in the performance of routine mental, manual, or physical processes, or

b. Work that is original and creative in character in a recognized field of artistic endeavor (as opposed to work which can be produced by a person endowed with general manual or intellectual ability and training), and the result of which depends primarily on the invention, imagination, or talent of the employee, or

2. Whose work requires the consistent exercise of discretion and judgment in its performance; and

3. Whose work is predominantly intellectual and varied in character (as opposed to routine mental, manual, mechanical or physical work) and is of such character that the output produced or the result accomplished cannot be standardized in relation to a given period of time; and

4. Who does not devote more than 20% of their hours worked in the workweek to activities which are not an essential part of and necessarily incidental to the work described in subs. (1) through (3); and

5. Who is compensated for services on a salary or fee basis at a rate of not less than $750 per month.

(2) An employee who meets all of the following conditions: