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Wages & Hours

Get ready for more failure-to-promote suits

03/19/2020
The coming months look like they will bring hard economic times, which probably means we will see an increase in employee lawsuits. One unique risk to watch out for: failure-to-promote litigation.

Shorter workweeks may lessen virus exposure

03/19/2020
With social distancing becoming part of our new normal, a workplace practice that began emerging even before the coronavirus crisis hit has gained new urgency. Shorter workweeks were already trending as an employee-relations perk. Now a four-day workweek could become an important shift-management strategy

Snapshot: Does your company have a formal compensation strategy?

03/17/2020
Less than one-third of employers have a formal compensation strategy, but more are working to develop one.

Beware basing starting pay on past salary

03/12/2020
Think twice before using a new hire’s past compensation to set her new salary. According to a federal appeals court, that violates the Equal Pay Act.

New NLRB rule clarifies ‘joint employer’ status

02/27/2020
The National Labor Relations Board has issued a final rule ending years of confusion about what constitutes a joint employer in the context of the National Labor Relations Act.

Beware creeping expectations for exempts

02/25/2020
In today’s booming economy, with new workers in short supply, many exempt employees are being asked to do more nonexempt work and end up working longer hours. That’s a recipe for disaster.

Orange County, Calif. trucking co. delivering $200K in back OT pay

02/25/2020
C&W Trucking in Orange County will pay 56 employees $199,010 in back pay following an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division.

Comply with the law when requiring employees to work overtime

02/18/2020
In general, employers have the right to require employees to work overtime, as long as they are properly paid for the additional hours. However, that right is not unlimited.

Long Island restaurants must serve up $365k in back pay

02/18/2020
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division has ordered the owners of three Long Island restaurants to pay 79 employees $365,000 in back pay and liquidated damages.

Labor Department issues two new wage-and-hour opinion letters

02/07/2020
In January, the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division issued two opinion letters addressing wage-and-hour issues under the Fair Labor Standards Act. One involves discretionary bonuses while the second addresses whether some extra payments for exempt workers may affect their exemptions.