Today Governor Mike Pence continued to share the benefits of doing business in Indiana with executives from Japanese companies and announced more results of the state’s international economic development efforts.

This afternoon, the Governor and Indiana delegates joined executives from Toyota Tsusho as the company revealed plans to invest more than $4.48 million to locate a new automotive parts distribution center in Jeffersonville, Indiana. The project, which is a joint venture with James International Group, will establish the first Magnolia Automotive Services facility outside of Mississippi and create up to 26 new Hoosier jobs.

“As a state, we have worked hard to create a business-friendly environment that encourages growth and attracts new jobs to Indiana,” said Governor Pence. “We cut taxes and reduced burdensome regulations while investing in vocational training and quality of life initiatives to attract new talent to the state. And I’m proud to say those efforts are being recognized by companies like Magnolia Automotive Services that choose to create jobs here in the Hoosier State when faced with a world of options.”

The decision comes on the heels of Tuesday’s announcement by Mitsubishi Corporation to expand its operations in Delphi, investing $40.6 million and creating up to 91 new jobs at Indiana Packers Corporation. These companies join a list of more than 100 Japan-based companies that have announced job creation plans with the Indiana Economic Development Corporation since 2005. Combined, these businesses have committed to investing more than $4 billion in their Indiana operations and creating nearly 13,000 Hoosier jobs.

“Last month Indiana celebrated an historic achievement with more Hoosiers going to work than ever before,” said Pence. “But as long as any Hoosier is looking for work or struggling to make ends meet, our work is not done. With the types of investments and job creation plans announced this week, I’m confident that our strong relationship with Japan will be a driving force behind increased economic momentum in Indiana.”

Governor Pence also met with representatives from The Aisin Group, Toyota Industries Corporation and Toyota Motor Corporation today to thank the companies for their long-term commitment to job creation in Indiana. Toyota Industrial Equipment Manufacturing (TIEM) in Columbus, which is a subsidiary of Toyota Industries Corporation, will celebrate the company’s 25th anniversary this fall. This year also marks the 50th anniversary of Aisin, which established its first Indiana operations in 1986 and now has 10 companies throughout the state, employing more than 2,900 Hoosiers.

Tonight, Governor Pence and the First Lady hosted a Friends of Indiana reception in Nagoya, welcoming representatives from companies such as Toyota, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, NTN and Tsuchiya. The Governor concluded his second trade mission to Japan by thanking Japanese executives and leaders for their commitment to Indiana and recognizing members of the Indiana delegation for their economic development efforts.

“From day one of my administration, we made job creation job one, but it’s certainly not a small task. It’s an ongoing labor that requires collaboration between the state, our communities, our businesses and most importantly, our hardworking Hoosiers,” said Pence. “So today, and every day, I say thank you to those who serve the Hoosier State for your commitment and tireless efforts to make Indiana a state that works.”

 

Tomorrow the Governor will travel to Osaka to meet with executives from NTN Corporation, which manufactures and distributes bearings, driveshaft and precision equipment for the automotive industry, to discuss ongoing opportunities for growth in Indiana. NTN has operations in Columbus and Frankfort, Indiana, and employs more than 1,600 Hoosiers. The Governor will then return to Nagoya and depart to Indiana with the First Lady and members of the Indiana delegation.

Dave Stafford for www.theindianalawyer.com

A former marshal in a small southern Indiana town is not entitled to unpaid wages, overtime and other damages because the town employed fewer than five law enforcement officers, the Indiana Court of Appeals held Thursday in a matter of first impression.

The court affirmed a Greene Superior Court grant of summary judgment in favor of the town in Donald Richardson v. Town of Worthington, Indiana, 28A01-1503-CT-83. The town successfully argued to the trial court that the Indiana Minimum Wage Law did not apply to its officers because Worthington employed just three officers, qualifying for an exemption under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act.

Richardson argued Worthington is an employer under the state Minimum Wage Law and thus he is qualified for overtime compensation. He argued that because Worthington was exempt from the federal FLSA’s maximum hours requirement, the town is not subject to the federal law and therefore is an “employer” for purposes of the state Minimum Wage Law.

The appeals panel declined Richardson’s invitation to similarly construe the minimum wage and maximum hours sections of the FLSA as “minimum wage provisions.” Judge Margret Robb wrote for the panel that each section of the FLSA has a specific use.

“Worthington is subject to the FLSA’s minimum wage provisions,” though not the maximum hours provision, Robb wrote. “Therefore, it is exempt from the MWL and its overtime pay requirements.”

“The FLSA’s maximum hours provisions are distinct from its minimum wage provisions. MWL’s reference to the ‘minimum wage provisions’ of the FLSA is to FLSA section 206, not sections 206 and 207” under 29 U.S.C. Chapter 8. “Worthington is an employer subject to the minimum wage provisions but not the maximum hours provisions of the FLSA. The MWL, therefore, excludes Worthington from its purview.  The trial court’s grant of summary judgment is affirmed.”