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Wages & Hours

Big overhaul of overtime and wage law may be coming

04/01/2001
That little old law that employers love to hate may be in for a shake-up, one that you just might enjoy. Political winds seem to be blowing strong enough, and …

Changing work conditions may strip worker’s exemption

03/01/2001
As a U-Haul field manager, William Whitesides spent a lot of time on the road visiting dealerships. But soon after he had an accident, Whitesides was reassigned to office work, …

Keep job open for worker called to jury duty

03/01/2001

Q. We are a small company and can’t afford to have an employee on extended leave. Can we legally terminate an employee who is called to jury duty and assigned to a lengthy trial? —J.W., New Jersey

Sales staff may be exempt from minimum wage

03/01/2001

Q. We are planning to change the pay of one employee from straight salary to a lower salary plus commission. How can we do this without violating wage law? —G.T., South Dakota

Treat unauthorized overtime as discipline issue

03/01/2001

Q. We verbally warned an employee not to work overtime. Recently, he claimed to have worked 56 hours straight, eating and sleeping only on regular break times. The timecards say he was here, but we don’t have any night staff, so we can’t verify if he was actually at work. Is there anything we can do? —S.T., Michigan

Commission must be paid at same time as wages

03/01/2001

Q. We have a written employment contract with a worker that includes her salary, but an additional sheet attached to that outlines the commission structure. If the employee resigns with a month’s notice, what is our obligation to pay approximately $10,500 in earned commissions? —P. D., Pennsylvania

High Court to review cap on damages

02/01/2001
The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case that could hold down awards in workplace discrimination cases. At issue is whether a $300,000 cap on compensatory damages that …

How to respond when unions come a knockin’

02/01/2001
No union, no problem. Right? Not really. Even if your company isn’t unionized now, you can’t afford to be oblivious. Just ask Amazon.com. In the thick of the holiday shopping …

State Law Varies on When Clock Tolls for Overtime

02/01/2001

Q. What’s the definition of a standard workweek? One of our employees claims that overtime is defined as anything over eight hours per workday. Is he correct? —P.F., Minnesota

New schedule legal, barring contract or illegal reason

02/01/2001

Q. Our company of 15 employees manufactures labels in California. We have an employee whom we want to move from the day shift to the swing shift. Although this employee has the most seniority, he has the least experience with the presses we run during the day. When we told the employee of our plans, he said that moving him would be illegal. Is he correct? We are worried that if we move him and he quits, it won’t be the last time that we hear from him. —T.R., California