|
Approximately 60 people attended the wage-and-hour regulation
workshop hosted by Nevada Labor Commissioner Michael Tanchek
yesterday in Las Vegas.
The workshop was the second to encourage public participation in
reviewing and revising wage-and-hour regulations found in Nevada
Administrative Code 608.
Approximately two-thirds of the attendees represented agencies
and services that employ developmentally-disabled adults, such
as Opportunity
Village, Easter Seals, and
Transition Services. Entrepreneurs and representatives from a
number of law firms, gaming properties, municipalities, and
business advocacy groups rounded out the mix. Danny Thompson,
AFL-CIO, and Richard McCracken, Esq. (authors of the
constitutional amendment to minimum wage); Carole Villardo,
Nevada Taxpayers Association; Bob Ostrovsky, Nevada Resort
Association; and Sarah Laughlin, Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce,
also participated.
Tanchek
asked attendees to form working groups to discuss like topics.
Tanchek facilitated the disability working group. Deputy Labor
Commissioner Gail Maxwell
and Senior Deputy Attorney General Dianna Hegeduis led the
remaining group to craft alternative language for regulations
governing minimum wage, salaries, tip pooling, overtime,
recordkeeping and exemptions.
Tanchek
said, “I am pleased there was such a diverse group — labor,
management, consultants — it was a good mix. They stayed focused
on the issues. While there was certainly advocacy, the groups
stayed centered on problem solving. There was recognition that
everyone had to be on the same page to make this work. They came
up with ideas for replacement language and came away with a
better understanding of the issues. I couldn’t be more pleased
with how the workshop turned out.”
Tanchek
added that the workshop participants also considered harmonizing
some items with federal standards so employers and employees
won’t have to look at two different sets of interpretations of
the similar language.
Tanchek,
Maxwell, and Hegeduis met this morning to refine the proposed
regulations to include the changes and recommendations from
yesterday’s groups. This information will be shared at a similar
regulation workshop in
Reno
on Thursday.
After
that, Tanchek plans to put the proposal together by the first
week in February; then post the statutorily-required 30-day
notice of hearing to adopt regulations. The public will have a
final opportunity to provide testimony at the formal adoption
hearing on the proposed regulations in March.
For
updates on and copies of the proposed regulations, log on to
www.laborcommissioner.com.
|
