What’s The FLSA For In The First Place?
The Court then examined whether or not a finding for Steelman would advance the various purposes behind the FLSA itself. In the Court’s view, allowing Steelman to recover would neither prevent unfair competition that arises where substandard working conditions are found, nor would it advance her living conditions, both of which are stated goals of the wage/hour law. After all, both Ms. Steelman and Ms. Hirsch freely took from the company’s profits, and the particular profit-sharing arrangement at hand provided incentive for competition through “hard work and good management.” Keep Personal And Business Worlds Separate Opining that the parties had an unorthodox financial relationship and business venture, the Court held that the dispute fell well outside of the reach of the FLSA. The Act is not available as a weapon where differing types of domestic relationships, especially ones that include sharing funds and labor, end up “going to the dogs.
