Portal to Portal Act

Signed into law by Harry S. Truman
May 14, 1947

As an amendment to the Fair Labor Standards Act, Congress passed the Portal to Portal Act of 1947 in order to, among other things, clarify the type of work time for which an employee should be paid. Generally, the Portal to Portal Act provides that as long as an employee is engaging in activities that are designed to benefit the employer, he or she should be paid for her services regardless of where that work is performed.

Enforcement & Remedies

Under the FLSA, employees who believe that their employer has failed to pay them overtime or has retaliated against them for disclosing concerns about their overtime pay may file a claim in the appropriate U.S. District Court. In addition, the FLSA allows for what are referred to as “representative actions” which permit an employee to seek out the overtime wages for both himself and any “similarly-situated” employees who are also due overtime pay.