Employees participating in the actual movement of commerce.

  1. Law
  2. CFR 29
  3. Labor
  4. Regulations Relating to Labor
  5. Wage and Hour Division, Department of Labor
  6. Statements of General Policy or Interpretation Not Directly Related to Regulations
  7. Interpretative Bulletin on the General Coverage of the Wage and Hours Provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938
  8. General
  9. Engaging “in Commerce”
  10. Employees participating in the actual movement of commerce.

Checkout our iOS App for a better way to browser and research.

§ 776.10 Employees participating in the actual movement of commerce.

(a) Under the principles stated in § 776.9, the wage and hours provisions of the Act apply typically, but not exclusively, to employees such, as those in the telephone,[29] telegraph,[30] television, radio,[31] transportation and shipping[32] industries, since these industries serve as the actual instrumentalities and channels of interstate and foreign commerce. Similarly, employees of such businesses as banking, insurance, newspaper publishing,[33] and others which regularly utilize the channels of interstate and foreign commerce in the course of their operations, are generally covered by the Act.

(b) Employees whose work is an essential part of the stream of interstate or foreign commerce, in whatever type of business they are employed, are likewise engaged in commerce and within the Act's coverage. This would include, for example, employees of a warehouse whose activities are connected with the receipt or distribution of goods across State lines.[34] Also, since “commerce” as used in the Act includes not only “transmission” of communications but “communication” itself, employees whose work involves the continued use of the interstate mails, telegraph, telephone or similar instrumentalities for communication across State lines are covered by the Act.[35] This does not mean that any use by an employee of the mails and other channels of communication is sufficient to establish coverage. But if the employee, as a regular and recurrent part of his duties, uses such instrumentalities in obtaining or communicating information or in sending or receiving written reports or messages, or orders for goods or services, or plans or other documents across State lines, he comes within the scope of the Act as an employee directly engaged in the work of “communication” between the State and places outside the State.

[15 FR 2925, May 17, 1950, as amended at 22 FR 5684, July 18, 1957]

Footnotes - 776.10

[29]Schmidt v. Peoples Telephone Union of Maryville, Mo., 138 F. 2d 13 (C.A. 8); North Shore Corp. v. Barnett, 143 F. 2d 172 (C.A. 5); Strand v. Garden Valley Telephone Co., 51 F. Supp. 898 (D. Minn.).

[30]Western Union Telegraph Co. v. Lenroot, 323 U.S. 490; Western Union Telegraph Co. v. McComb, 165 F. 2d 65 (C.A. 6), certiorari denied 333 U.S. 862; Moss v. Postal Telegraph Cable Co., 42 F. Supp. 807 (M.D. Ga.).

[31]Wilson v. Shuman, 140 F. 2d 644 (C.A. 8); Wabash Radio Corp. v. Walling, 162 F. 2d 391 (C.A. 6).

[32]Overnight Motor Co. v. Missel, 316 U.S. 572; Hargis v. Wabash R. Co., 163 F. 2d 607 (C.A. 7); Rockton & Rion R.R. v. Walling 146 F. 2d 111 (C.A. 4), certiorari denied 334 U.S. 880; Walling v. Keansburg Steamboat Co., 162 F. 2d 405 (C.A. 3); Knudsen v. Lee & Simmons, 163 F. 2d 95 (C.A. 2); Walling v. Southwestern Greyhound Lines, 65 F. Supp. 52 (W.D. Mo.); Walling v. Atlantic Greyhound Corp., 61 F. Supp. 992 (E.D. S.C.).

[33]Sun Pub. Co. v. Walling, 140 F. 2d 445 (C.A. 6), certiorari denied 322 U.S. 728. See also Oklahoma Press Pub. Co. v. Walling, 327 U.S. 186, and McComb v. Dessau, 9 W.H. Cases 332 (S.D. Calif.) 17 Labor Cases, 65, 643.

[34]Phillips Co. v. Walling, 324 U.S. 490; Clyde v. Broderick, 144 F. 2d 348 (C.A. 10).

[35]McComb v. Weller, 9 W.H. Cases 53 (W.D. Tenn.); Yunker v. Abbye Employment Agency, 32 N.Y.S. 2d 715; (Munic. Ct. N.Y.C.); Phillips v. Meeker Coop. Light & Power Asso., 63 F. Supp. 733 (D. Minn.); Anderson Bros. Corp. v. Flynn, 218 S.W. 2d 653 (C.A. Ky.).


Download our app to see the most-to-date content.