Wages & Hours

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.

AB 5—California’s new independent contractor law—comes under fire

02/03/2020

Opponents of California’s controversial new independent contractor law, AB 5, have moved to get a competing law on the ballot. They fear that if gig workers became employees, as they would under AB 5, it would raise some employer costs an estimated 30%.

California employees can collect penalties for unpaid wages