... probably not, but this article by USA Today got people thinking:
A new expense looms for college athletic departments
Here are some of the highlights of the article:
- The U.S. Department of Labor on Tuesday revealed changes in the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) that beginning this fall will basically double the amount of money workers must make to be exempt from federal overtime-pay requirements.
- ...this update to rules and salary thresholds that have been unchanged since 2004 could require athletics departments to start giving hundreds of thousands of dollars more a year in pay and benefits to an array of staffers from assistant coaches, to trainers, to ticket-office personnel.
- Unless they receive sufficient salary increases, these types of employees will have to become hourly wage-earners who are either limited to 40-hour work weeks or paid at overtime rates when they exceed 40 hours.
- At present, workers who exceed 40 hours on the job in a week do not have to be paid at overtime rates if they meet three criteria:
- --They are employed on a salaried basis.
- --Their jobs are primarily professional, administrative or executive.
- --They make at least $23,660 per year.
- Under the new FLSA rules, scheduled to take effect Dec. 1, they will have to make at least $47,476 a year to be exempt from overtime.
So basically, there is a chance (I have no idea how much of a chance) that college coaches will either be mandated to receive overtime pay or hold a minimum salary of $47k.
But, before every GA and exercise science major starts high-fiving themselves for their anticipated pay-raises of their theoretical jobs, let me look into my crystal ball and tell everyone what is going to happen if and when this law comes into effect:
1. Schools will cut non-essential positions (strength coaches being one of them). Have you been lobbying for a full-time assistant for the last 3 years as a head coach? The AD was finally on board until he had to give you a raise because, well, you can't have your assistant make more than you.
2. Schools will increase responsibilities (secondary duties) of assistants making 47k in order to "increase value". You are ecstatic with the new pay raise but a little concerned you have to learn how to coach another sports, run the university wellness program, and have game management for one sport per season. Good thing you didn't work that many hours in the weight room before.
3. Coaches will segment hours as:
- Officially on the clock and
- Mandatory volunteer hours.
This will fly because of the extremely dysfunctional supply and demand issue of strength and conditioning. This problem will now get a lot worse. Fifty applications for an unpaid internship, 100 applications for a GA spot, and 200 applications for a full-time gig making 30k will now increase dramatically.
4. Schools with athletic departments with spineless ADs who are run by the head FB or MBB coaches will ignore the federal law because no one is regulating it. It's hard to prove how much someone is or isn't working. Quick question, who is the person assigned for each university that monitors how much someone is working over the 40 hour limit?
5. The schools with deep-pocketed alumni and boosters will start paying "under the table." If they are convinced these non-essential positions are important, they will shell out the cash for a competitive advantage. Not sure exactly how schools will earmark these donated stipends or how it effects true volunteer positions, but schools (and alumni) will find a way.
I hope this came across as light-hearted due to the fact that I don't really have a crystal ball. That being said, it is concerning for our profession. I am not saying we don't need a major overhaul with the current climate of strength & conditioning. I just think this may only help our cause on the surface.
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Thanks for clearing that up with the coach/teacher exemption. I have heard that from other sources as well. And yes, we both agree this will not help the profession. Thanks for your comments and I wish you the best.
--They are employed on a salaried basis.
--Their jobs are primarily professional, administrative or executive.
--They make at least $23,660 per year."
As I understand it, schools just need to pay their staff at least $24K per year to avoid paying overtime. I sure as hell hope they're paying their assistant strength coaches at least that much. If that's the case, they're not on the hook for any overtime and they won't be cutting staff.
The next line of the quoted article from USA today read:
"Under the new FLSA rules, scheduled to take effect Dec. 1, they will have to make at least $47,476 a year to be exempt from overtime."
So, starting in December, schools would need to pay their staff 47k a year and that's when all the issues I list will start to happen. Unless coaches are exempt from this rule, most assistant strength coaches will be either getting a raise or getting fired. Again, JMHO.