The White-Collar Wage War: Fifth Circuit Backs DOL’s Power To Set Salary Threshold

In Mayfield v. United States Dep't of Labor, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed a lower court's ruling that the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has authority to set a minimum salary threshold for the white-collar exemptions under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). 

The Fifth Circuit held that the FLSA provides the DOL with the statutory authority to undertake rulemaking to set a minimum salary level, and the exercise of that authority does not violate constitutional principles.