Do Colorado employees get paid for snow days?

With winter weather in full swing employees in Denver and other parts of Colorado wake up to a lot of snow and ice days. Employers make decisions to open for limited hours or to close entirely for those days. For some workers that can mean an extra day off; but for other employees that can mean losing work hours and badly needed pay. That can leave many employees wondering if work is closed on a snow day, do I get paid?

The answer is sometimes depending upon the worker’s status as an employee or independent contractor and exempt or non-exempt. Let’s explore this answer for Colorado workers.

Exempt employees vs. Nonexempt employees

Rules for payment of wages to employees differ depending upon whether an employee is appropriately classified as an exempt or nonexempt employee under the Fair Labor Standards Act and Colorado employment law. Under federal and Colorado wage law an exempt employee is exempt from overtime pay and minimum wage rules. Exempt employees are generally salaried employees who meet one or more statutory exemptions.

An employee is not exempt merely because he or she receives pay on a salary basis or because the employer says the employee is exempt. Most nonexempt employees receive hourly pay on the basis of hours worked in the workweek; but there are employees properly classified as nonexempt who receive a salary.

Many employers misclassify nonexempt employees as exempt employees which often results in unpaid overtime pay and minimum wage violations. If you believe you may be misclassified then you should talk to a Colorado unpaid wages lawyer right away.

Snow day pay for nonexempt employees in Colorado

Nonexempt employees are not entitled to pay for hours the employer closes a work site under federal or Colorado employment law. Nevertheless, you may receive wages for an inclement weather day under an employer’s voluntary policy or under a contracted benefit such as:

• An employer’s elective policy to pay wages for an inclement weather day;
• The employer allows employees to elect to receive vacation pay or other PTO instead of taking the snow day unpaid;
• A collective bargaining agreement between your union and employer includes required paid time for inclement weather days;
• An individual employment contract includes provisions requiring the employer to pay wages for inclement weather days.

You should review the employer’s handbook or any employment contract for these provisions.

Snow day pay for exempt employees in Colorado

The rules for salaried exempt employees under the Fair Labor Standards Act and Colorado employment law are more complex. Employers must pay salaried exempt employees within specific rules to maintain the exemption from overtime pay and minimum wage. If an employer violates these rules then the exemption is destroyed and the employer must pay the employee at least minimum wage plus overtime pay for applicable hours. One of these rules applies to situations where an employer closes for a partial or full day due to weather.

Under the Fair Labor Standards Act an employer generally must pay a salaried exempt employee for an entire week of pay if the employee worked any part of the workweek.

Under this rule the employee must be willing to work but is unable to work due to conditions not caused by the employee. This certainly includes days the employer shuts down work, such as snow days. It also includes days in which weather prevents you from getting to the office but the employer is open. (By contrast, an employer can make deductions for narrow reasons, such as the salaried, exempt employee’s FMLA leave.)

Although employers cannot deduct salaried exempt employee’s pay for snow days it may deduct the time the employer closes from the employee’s PTO bank.

Independent Contractors in Colorado and snow day pay

Independent contractors are not employees and therefore only receive pay under the conditions of their contracts. Often contractors only receive pay for days they work or generally for performing services; therefore, it is not common for contractors to receive pay for snow days. Independent contractors must review the terms of their contracts to determine whether the contract gives them snow day pay.

However, it is common for employers to misclassify employees as independent contractors to avoid employee rights laws and wage requirements. Misclassified employees may have remedies against their employer including overtime pay and FMLA rights. If you believe your employer misclassified you as an independent contractor then you should talk to a Colorado unpaid wages lawyer right away.