The United States Supreme Court has finally put to rest the issue of whether service advisors are exempt from the overtime compensation requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).  You may recall an earlier post, discussing the law’s ambiguity in how auto dealers should classify service advisors under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).  It is an issue that has been before the Supreme Court twice now and a decision to clarify the standard has been much anticipated by auto dealerships across the country.

As a recap, the plaintiffs in Encino Motor Cars were current and former service advisors of a Mercedes-Benz dealership in California.  The service advisors sued the dealership for backpay, alleging that the dealership failed to pay them overtime compensation under the FLSA.  The dealership moved to dismiss the complaint, arguing that the service advisors were exempt from overtime under an FLSA exemption that applies to “any salesman, partsman, or mechanic primarily engaged in selling or servicing automobiles, trucks, or farm implements.”

In a 5-4 decision, the Court found that auto service advisors are exempt under the FLSA’s overtime provisions because they are salesmen primarily engaged in servicing automobiles.  Specifically, the Court found that while the term salesman is not defined under the FLSA, it could be defined as “someone who sells goods or services.”  Because service advisors sell customers services for their vehicles, Justice Thomas, authoring the opinion, found that “a service advisor is obviously a ‘salesman.’”

The Court also found that service advisors are primarily engaged in servicing automobiles.  In particular, the court found that they “meet customers; listen to their concerns about their cars; suggest repair and maintenance services; sell new accessories or replacement parts; record service orders; follow up with customers as the services are performed (for instance, if new problems are discovered); and explain the repair and maintenance work when customers return for their vehicles.”  Notably, the Court found that “if you ask the average customer who services his car, the primary, and perhaps only, person he is likely to identify is his service advisor.”  For these reasons, the Court concluded that the service advisors are exempt from overtime compensation.