Wage and HourBlog Posts
The Future of Wage and Hour Law In the Biden AdministrationAs President-elect Joe Biden selects members of his Cabinet and prepares for his transition into the presidency, he and a Democratic majority in the House of Representatives may pursue a number of significant pieces of federal workplace legislation. Many of these employment law measures successfully passed the House in 2019 and 2020. And, with the...… Continue ReadingNovember 10, 2020 |
Pandemic Necessitates Review of “Donning and Doffing” PoliciesAs federal and state safety and health guidelines in response to the COVID-19 pandemic call for extensive use of personal protective equipment (PPE) in the workplace, employers should give their policies on “donning and doffing” a fresh look. Pandemic-related reopening orders issued by state and local governments may include requirements that will require employers to modify their...… Continue ReadingOctober 12, 2020 |
DOL Issues New Opinion Letters on Fluctuating Workweek Hours Requirement, Other TopicsContinuing the practice it reinstituted during the current administration, on August 31, 2020 the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Wage Hour Division (WHD) issued four new Opinion Letters, addressing a variety of topics. That brings the total to 57 Opinion Letters issued since 2018, including the re-publication of 17 Opinion Letters withdrawn during the Obama...… Continue ReadingSeptember 1, 2020 |
Connecticut’s Minimum Wage Increases to $12 per hour on September 1In May 2019, Connecticut joined a host of other states, including New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts, in passing a bill that, pursuant to a series of incremental increases over time, will raise the state’s minimum wage to $15.00 per hour. The first increase occurred in October 2019 and the next increase, to $12 per...… Continue ReadingAugust 11, 2020 |
Fifth Circuit Reverses Course, Concludes That “Day Rate” Pay Method Fails to Satisfy FLSA’s “Salary Basis” Test for Overtime ExemptionsUpon further reflection, a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has determined that paying an employee a set amount for each day that he works (i.e. on a “day rate” basis) does not satisfy the “salary basis” component required to qualify as overtime-exempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA),...… Continue ReadingApril 26, 2020 |
DOL Issues New Opinion Letters Revolving Around the FLSA’s “Regular Rate”Continuing the practice it reinstituted about two years ago, on March 26, 2020 the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage Hour Division (WHD) issued three new opinion letters, each revolving around the “regular rate” that is used when calculating any overtime pay due to non-exempt employees for work performed in excess of 40 hours in a...… Continue ReadingMarch 30, 2020 |
Limousine Service Employee Was Properly Classified as Exempt, Second Circuit HoldsUpholding a jury verdict in favor of the defendant “black car” (limousine service) company, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit concluded that the plaintiff-employee was properly classified as overtime-exempt under both the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and New York Labor Law (NYLL). Suarez v. Big Apple Car, Inc., 2020 U.S. App....… Continue ReadingMarch 20, 2020 |
Colorado’s COMPS Order 36 Goes Into Effect, With Some Modifications and Compliance Grace PeriodsOn March 16, 2020, the Colorado Overtime & Minimum Pay Standards (COMPS) Order 36 went into effect, bringing sweeping changes to Colorado’s wage and hour laws. COMPS Order 36 represents a dramatic shift from previous Colorado wage orders, significantly increasing the coverage of the rules, placing greater limitations on exemptions from the overtime requirements, expanding...… Continue ReadingMarch 19, 2020 |
Settlement or Dismissal of Individual Claims Does Not Preclude Assertion of PAGA Claims, California Supreme Court HoldsNoting the legal and conceptual differences between, as well as the penalties available in, a claim under the state’s Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) and an employee’s individual suit for damages and statutory penalties, the California Supreme Court recently held that an employee may bring a PAGA claim even if the employee has settled or...… Continue ReadingMarch 16, 2020 |
New Jersey Independent Contractor Bill Based on “ABC” Test Has Failed – For NowOn January 14, 2020, the latest session of the New Jersey legislature ended and, with it, so did Senate Bill (SB) 4204. The bill, which in many respects mirrored California’s recently-enacted Assembly Bill (AB) 5, sought to codify the “ABC test” as the proper method for determining whether an individual should be classified as an...… Continue ReadingJanuary 23, 2020 |