in the statutory definition of “American vessel" would indicate that the work "includes" is used in the sense of “embracing”, as an enlargement and not as a word of limitation. The term may therefore apply to other vessels that do not fall within the illustrations given. For example, neither the documenting laws nor the numbering laws apply to vessels plying the purely internal waters of a State which do not join up with navigable waters touching on another State (19 CFR 3.5(a)(4); 33 CFR 2.10-5), but, nevertheless, the Fair Labor Standards Act does apply in those areas and it clearly would not comport with the remedial purpose of the Act to exclude from its minimum wage provisions seamen engaged in commerce or in the production of goods for commerce in those areas though the vessels are not documented or numbered. On the contrary, the legislative history shows the affirmative purpose to improve, though to a limited extent, the status of seamen (Sen. Rep. No. 145, 87th Cong., 1st sess., p. 32, 50).

COMPUTATION OF WAGES AND HOURS

§ 783.43 Computation of seaman's minimum wage.

Section 6(b) requires, under paragraph (2) of the subsection, that an employee employed as a seaman on an American vessel be paid wages at not less than the rate which will provide to the employee, for the period covered by the wage payment, wages which are equal to compensation for all hours on duty in such period at the hourly rate prescribed for employees newly covered by the Act's minimum wage requirements by reason of the 1961 Amendments (see §§ 783.23 and 783.26). Although the Act takes the workweek as the unit of time to be used in determining compliance with the minimum wage of overtime requirements and in applying the exemptions, Congress, in recognition of the unique working conditions of seamen and of the customs in the industry, made this special provision. Under section 6(b)(2) periods other than a workweek may be used, in accordance with established customs in the industry, as the basis for calculat

ing wages for covered seamen provided the wages equal the compensation at the applicable minimum hourly rate which would be due to the employee for his hours actually spent on duty in the period. This would mean that the wage period may properly cover, for example, the period of a month or of a voyage so long as the seaman receives at the appropriate time compensation at least equal to the prescribed minimum rate for each compensable hour in that pay period. (See also § 531.26 of this chapter concerning requirements of other laws governing calculation of wages and frequency and manner of payment.) To illustrate, where seamen have customarily been paid monthly under an arrangement to perform seamen's duties during stipulated periods and to be off duty during stipulated periods during the month, if such a seaman works 300 hours during the month and receives his monthly compensation in an amount equal to a payment for that number of hours at the applicable minimum rate, there would be compliance with the requirements of section 6(b)(2). The fact that this seaman works a varying number of hours during the weeks comprising the monthly period or that the monthly compensation is disbursed in two or four partial payments to the seaman during the month would not warrant a contrary conclusion.

§ 783.44 Board and lodging as wages.

The wages for the period covered by the wage payment include all remuneration for employment paid to or on behalf of the employee for all hours actually on duty intended to be compensated by such wage payment. The reasonable cost or fair value, as determined by the Secretary of Labor pursuant to section 3(m) of the Act, of board and lodging furnished the employee during such period, if customarily furnished by the employer to his employees, is also included as part of the wages for the actual hours worked in the period (see § 783.16). However, the cost of board and lodging would not be included as part of the wages paid to the employee to the extent it is excluded from the employee's wages

under terms of a bona fide collective bargaining agreement applicable to such employee, whether or not customarily furnished to the employee. Where such an exclusion is not provided for in any bona fide collective bargaining agreement applicable to the employee, the reasonable cost or fair value thereof, whichever is appropriate, as determined in accordance with the standards set forth in the regulations in part 531 of this chapter, is included as part of the wage paid to such employee. Part 531 of this chapter also contains the official regulations and interpretations of the Department of Labor concerning the application of section 3(m) to other faIcilities as well as board and lodging furnished to an employee.

§ 783.45 Deductions from wages.

Where deductions are made from the wages of a seaman subject to section 6(b) of the Act, consideration must be given as to whether or not such deductions are permitted to be made when they result in the seaman receiving cash wages which are less than the applicable minimum wage rate for each hour actually on duty during the period covered by the wage payments. Such considerations are to be based upon the principles and interpretations governing such deductions. These are set forth and discussed in part 531 of this chapter. The methods of paying the compensation required by section 6 and the application thereto of the provisions of section 3(m) of the Act, which are set forth and explained in the said part 531, are applicable to seamen subject to the minimum wage provisions of the Act.

8 783.46 Hours worked.

The provisions of section 6(b)(2) of the Act require that a seaman employed on an American vessel be paid wages equal to compensation at not less than the prescribed minimum wage rate for all of the hours the employee "was actually on duty (including periods aboard ship when the employee was on watch or was, at the direction of a superior officer, performing work or standing by, but not including off-duty periods which are provided pursuant to the employment

agreement)". The Act in this portion of section 6(b)(2) is reflecting concepts that are well established in the law, and existing precedents (in such cases as Armour & Co. v. Wantock, 323 U.S. 126; Skidmore v. Swift & Co., 323 U.S. 134; Steiner v. Mitchell, 350 U.S. 247; Mitchell v. King Packing Co., 350 U.S. 260; Tennessee Coal, Iron & R. Co. v. Muscoda Local N. 123, 321 U.S. 590; and General Electric Co. v. Porter, 208 F. 2d 805, certiorari denied, 347 U.S. 951, 975) would be applicable in determining what time constitutes hours worked. See also the general discussion of hours worked in part 785 of this chapter.

§ 783.47 Off-duty periods.

Off-duty periods include not only such periods as shore leave but also generally those hours spent by a seaman on the vessel outside his watch or normal or regular working hours and his standby periods during which hours he is not required to perform and does not perform work of any kind but is free to utilize his time for his own purpose. The fact that during such off-duty periods the employee is subject to call in case of emergency situations affecting the safety and welfare of the vessel upon which he is employed, or of its passengers, crew, or cargo or for participation in life boat or fire drills will not render such offduty periods, excluded by employment agreement applicable to the employee, "hours worked". Responding to such calls, however, as well as the performance of work in response thereto constitute compensable work time. For further and more detailed discussion on what generally are regarded as "hours worked" under the Act, see part 785 of this chapter.

APPLICATION OF THE EXEMPTIONS

§ 783.48 Factors determining application of exemptions.

The application of the exemptions provided by section 13(a)(14) and section 13(b)(6) of the Act is determined in accordance with their language and scope as explained in §§ 783.24, 783.25, and 783.27, with regard to the principles set forth in § 783.20 and the legislative history and judicial construction

outlined in §§ 783.28 through 783.30. Whether a particular employee is exempt depends on what he does, as explained in §§ 783.31 through 783.37. Whether he is exempt from the overtime pay provisions only or from minimum wages as well depends on whether his employment is or is not on an American vessel, which is determined as indicated in §§ 783.38 through

783.42. In addition, sections 13(a)(14) and 13(b)(6), like other exemptions in the Act, apply on a workweek basis as mentioned in § 783.43 and explained in §§ 783.49 and 783.50.

§ 783.49 Workweek unit in applying the exemptions.

The unit of time to be used in determining the application of the exemption provided by section 13(b)(6) or 13(a)(14) to an employee is the workweek. (See Overnight Transportation Co. v. Missel, 316 U.S. 572; Sternberg Dredging Co. v. Walling, 158 F. 2d 678.) This is the period used in determining whether a substantial amount of non-seaman's work has been performed so as to make the exemption inapplicable. See § 783.37. A workweek is a fixed and regularly recurring interval of 7 consecutive 24-hour periods. It may begin at any hour of any day set by the employer and need not coincide with the calendar week. Once the workweek has been set it commences each succeeding week on the same day and at the same hour. Changing of the workweek for the purpose of escaping the requirements of the Act is not permitted.

§ 783.50 Work exempt under another section of the Act.

Where an employee performs work during his workweek, some of which is exempt under one section of the Act, and the remainder of which is exempt under another section or sections of the Act, the exemptions may be combined. The employee's combination exemption is controlled in such case by that exemption which is narrower in scope. For example, if part of his work is exempt from both minimum wage and overtime compensation under one section of the Act, and the rest is exempt only from the overtime pay requirements under section 13(b)(6), the

employee is exempt that week from the overtime pay provisions but not from the minimum wage requirements.

§ 783.51 Seamen on a fishing vessel.

In extending the minimum wage to seamen on American vessels by limiting the exemption from minimum wages and overtime provided by section 13(a)(14) of the Act to "any employee employed as a seaman on a vessel other than an American vessel," and at the same time extending the minimum wage to "onshore" but not "offshore" operations concerned with aquatic products, the Congress, in the 1961 Amendments to the Act, did not indicate any intent to remove the crews of fishing vessels engaged in operations named in section 13(a)(5) from the exemption provided by that section. The exemption provided by section 13(a)(14), and the general exemption in section 13(b)(6) from overtime for “any employee employed as a seaman" (whether or not on an American vessel) apply, in general, to employees, working aboard vessels, whose services are rendered primarily as an aid to navigation (§§ 783.31-783.37). It appears, however, that it is not the custom or practice in the fishing industry for a fishing vessel to have two crews; namely, a fishing crew whose duty it is primarily to fish and to perform other duties incidental thereto and a navigational crew whose duty it is primarily to operate the boat. Where, as is the typical situation, there is but one crew which performs all these functions, the section 13(a)(5) exemption from both the minimum wage and the overtime provisions would apply to its members. For a further explanation of the fishery exemption see part 784 of this chapter.

APPLICATION OF COVERAGE AND EXEMPTIONS PROVISIONS OF THE ACT

784.17 Basic coverage in general. 784.18 Commerce activities of employees. 784.19 Commerce activities of enterprise in which employee is employed. 784.20 Exemptions from the Act's provisions.

784.21 Guiding principles for applying coverage and exemption provisions. Subpart B-Exemptions Provisions Relating to Fishing and Aquatic Products THE STATUTORY PROVISIONS 784.100 The section 13(a)(5) exemption. 784.101 The section 13(b)(4) exemption.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY OF EXEMPTIONS

784.102 General legislative history.

784.103 Adoption of the exemption in the original 1938 Act.

784.104

The 1949 amendments.

784.105 The 1961 amendments.

PRINCIPLES APPLICABLE TO THE TWO
EXEMPTIONS

784.106 Relationship of employee's work to the named operations.

Sec. 784.107 Relationship of employee's work to operations on the specified aquatic products.

784.108 Operations not included in named operations on forms of aquatic “life." 784.109 Manufacture of supplies for named operations is not exempt.

784.110 Performing operations both on nonaquatic products and named aquatic products.

784.111 Operations on named products with substantial amounts of other ingredients are not exempt.

784.112 Substantial amounts of nonaquatic products; enforcement policy.

784.113 Work related to named operations performed in off- or dead-season. 784.114 Application of exemptions on a workweek basis.

784.115 Exempt and noncovered work performed during the workweek.

784.116 Exempt and nonexempt work in the same workweek.

784.117 Combinations of exempt work.

784.124 Going to and returning from work. 784.125 Loading and unloading.

784.126 Operation of the fishing vessel. 784.127 Office and clerical employees under section 13(a)(5).

FIRST PROCESSING, CANNING, OR PACKING OF MARINE PRODUCTS UNDER SECTION 13(a)(5) 784.128 Requirements for exemption of first processing, etc., at sea. 784.129 "Marine products." 784.130 "At sea."

784.131 "As an incident to, or in conjuction with," fishing operations.

784.132 The exempt operations.

784.133 "First processing.”

784.134 "Canning."

784.135 "Packing."

GENERAL CHARACTER AND SCOPE OF THE

SECTION 13(b)(4) EXEMPTION

784.136 "Shore" activities exempted under section 13(b)(4).

784.137 Relationship of exemption to exemption for "offshore" activities.

govern the application of the minimum wage and overtime pay requirements of the Act to employees engaged in fishing and related activities and in operations on aquatic products. It is an objective of this part to make available in one place, the interpretations of law relating to such employment which will guide the Secretary of Labor and the Administrator in carrying out their responsibilities under the Act.

§ 784.1 General scope of the Act.

The Fair Labor Standards Act, as amended, is a Federal statute of general application which establishes minimum wage, overtime pay, equal pay, and child labor requirements that apply as provided in the Act. Employers and employees in enterprises engaged in fishing and related activities, or in operations on aquatic products on shore, need to know how the Act applies to employment in these enterprises so that they may understand their rights and obligations under the law. All employees whose employment has the relationship to interstate or foreign commerce which the Act specifies are subject to the prescribed labor standards unless specifically exempted from them. Employers having such employees are required to comply with the Act's provisions in this regard and with specified recordkeeping requirements contained in part 516 of this chapter. The law authorizes the Department of Labor to investigate for compliance and, in the event of violations, to supervise the payment of unpaid minimum wages or unpaid overtime compensation owing to any employee. The law also provides for enforcement in the courts.

§ 784.2 Matters discussed in this part.

This part discusses generally the provisions of the Act which govern its application to employers and employees in enterprises and establishments of the fisheries, seafood processing, and related industries. It discusses in some detail those exemption provisions of the Act in sections 13(a)(5) and 13(b)(4) which refer specifically to employees employed in described ac