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Wages & Hours

Even coffee-making may be compensable time

04/19/2010
The little things employees end up doing while getting ready for work can add up to a big overtime bill later. That’s because courts often see such preparatory work, even if it benefits the employee, too, as work that must be compensated. Consider this recent case involving making the morning coffee and breakfast before the start of a shift.

Can we make employee pay cost of lost BlackBerry through payroll deductions?

04/19/2010
Q. One of our employees recently took a company-issued BlackBerry with him on a business trip. The employee lost the BlackBerry while out on the town, and the company would like to have him pay for a replacement. Can we deduct the cost of a replacement BlackBerry from his paycheck?

Can we deduct from pay to replace equipment our employee damaged?

04/19/2010
Q. We have an employee whose company-provided laptop fell and broke while he was working from home. Can we deduct the cost of the computer from the employee’s paycheck?

H&R Block settles with California loan officers

04/19/2010
H&R Block will settle a lawsuit brought by former employees who alleged the tax prep company violated federal and California overtime and meal-period regulations.

Kitchen cabinet firm closes door on wage-and-hour suit

04/19/2010
A federal judge in Northern California has granted preliminary approval to a settlement reached between U.S. Remodelers Inc. and 270 current and former workers who sued the company for wage-and-hour violations.

Stop the state-federal-state litigation merry-go-round

04/19/2010
Just when you think a lawsuit will be resolved, something happens that starts the whole process over again. That’s why it’s so important to prevent lawsuits in the first place.

Of driving time and computer connections: 9th Circuit revisits before- and after-work pay

04/19/2010
Last year we told you about a recent 9th Circuit Court of Appeals decision on whether time employees spend commuting to a remote job site was compensable time. The court ruled that under both California law and the FLSA, driving a company car from an employee’s home to his first job location of the day was not work time but was instead unpaid commuting time. Well, now the same 9th Circuit panel has changed its ruling …

Let employees dress at home to cut FLSA risk

04/19/2010
Here’s a simple risk-reduction measure for employers that require employees to wear a uniform they need to put on before the start of a shift. You can reduce your chances of being on the losing end of a wage-and-hour lawsuit by giving employees the option to suit up at home.

Miami-Dade enacts ‘wage theft’ ordinance

04/15/2010

Miami-Dade County employers now have another reason to properly classify employees: On March 1, failure to pay an employee wages he or she is due became “wage theft.” The ordinance is the first of its kind in the nation. According to a county statement, the intent is to allow employees a forum to quickly address pay issues without joining a federal class-action lawsuit.

Nurses settle wage-fixing complaint with Chicago hospitals

04/15/2010

In a case that could have a ripple effect in four other states, Illinois nurses have settled a lawsuit that claimed Chicago-area hospitals colluded to depress wages in violation of antitrust laws. Nurse Alliance, affiliated with the Service Employees International Union, has filed similar lawsuits against hospitals in Michigan, New York, Tennessee and Texas.