$5)$Please answer the question True or False: Under the FLSA, employers must pay at least one and one$-$half times an employee$$s regular rate of pay for each hour worked in excess of forty hours in a workweek. $(***$ Please choose if it is True or False$)$

$6)$ An individual is asked to read the summary of Aimee Stephens. Please answer to the following questions: A$)$ Does the individual agree with the Supreme Court's decision in this case? B$)$ Why or why not? $(**$note: A short paragraph is sufficient$)$

$-$Aimee Stephens Case Summary: Aimee Stephens, a funeral director at R$.$G$.$ & G$.$R$.$ Harris Funeral Homes, Inc., was terminated after she disclosed her intention to transition from male to female. Stephens filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission $($EEOC$)$ alleging unlawful sex discrimination. The EEOC filed a lawsuit against the Funeral Home, charging it with violating Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of $1964$ by terminating her employment based on her transgender status and refusal to conform to sex$-$based stereotypes.

The Court ruled that employers are prohibited from discriminating against individuals based on their race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. The Court interpreted this to mean that an employer violates Title VII when it intentionally fires an employee based on sex. Discrimination based on homosexuality or transgender status requires employers to treat employees differently because of their sex, which Title VII prohibits in all manifestations. The Court acknowledged that few in $1964$ would have expected Title VII to apply to discrimination against homosexual and transgender persons but gave no weight to legislative history. The district court granted summary judgment to the Funeral Home, but a panel of the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit reversed, holding that the termination of Stephens constituted sex discrimination in violation of Title VII. Justice Samuel Alito and Justice Clarence Thomas authored a dissenting opinion, criticizing the majority for revising Title VII to reflect societal values, while Justice Brett Kavanaugh argued that Title VII does not prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation or transgender status, as written. Both opinions criticized the textualist school of statutory interpretation.

$7)$ An individual is asked to read the summary regarding the Massachusetts Wage laws. Let$$s say that the individual was advising a brand$-$new business owner who is setting up her business here in Massachusetts. Please answer the following question: A$)$ What are the individual$$s Top Ten tips for her to make sure she complies with all of the rules in regards to the Massachusetts Wage laws?

$-$Massachusetts Wage laws summary: Massachusetts' Attorney General, Andrea Joy Campbell, has announced a minimum wage of $$15/$hour for all employees starting January $1,2023.$ This applies to all employees except agricultural workers, religious order members, workers in educational, nonprofit, or religious organizations, and outside salespeople. Starting January $1,2023,$ the service rate will be $$6\mathrm{.}75/$hour$,$ with the average hourly tips and hourly service rate added to the minimum wage per shift. Tip pooling is only allowed for wait staff, service bartenders, and other service employees. Employees can earn $1$ hour of sick leave for every $30$ hours worked, and can take up to $40$ hours a year. Employers must not discriminate against employees based on factors such as race, color, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, genetic information, sex, age, or military service. Overtime pay is generally required for employees working over $40$ hours per week, with some jobs and workplaces exempt from overtime under state law. Employees in Massachusetts have the right to sue their employer for wage and hour violations, with strict deadlines for starting a lawsuit. The law mandates the payment of wages, including hours worked, tips, vacation pay, promised holiday pay, and commissions. Hourly employees must be paid weekly or bi$-$weekly, with a deadline of $6-7$ days after the pay period ends. Employees who quit must be paid in full on the next regular payday or by the first Saturday after they quit. They must receive a paystub with information about their employer and job, and employers cannot deduct money from their pay for ordinary business costs. Employers must keep payroll records for $3$ years, and employees have the right to see their own records. Massachusetts requires employers to adhere to state and federal laws, with workers under $18$ needing a work permit and minors applying to school districts. Dangerous jobs for minors include driving vehicles, firearm$-$related jobs, and handling alcohol. Minors aged $16-17$ work from $10$p$.$m$.$ to $6$a$.$m$.$ at night, while $14-15$s can work from $7$p$.$m$.$ to $7$ a$.$m$.$ summer.