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Wages & Hours

You can’t force tip-pooling on waitstaff

10/10/2013
Here’s a reminder that Minnesota law prohibits employers from forcing waiters in traditional restaurant environments to share their tips with bartenders and other support staff. It doesn’t matter what you call those who play a supporting role, either.

Paying workers with debit cards isn’t as easy as it seems

10/10/2013
More employers are pushing their workers to receive pay via debit cards. But not all employees want to be paid that way—and the law is often on their side.

AG nails contractor for wage violations in Brooklyn

10/10/2013
New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has announced a settlement with a masonry contractor working on New York City’s St. Mark’s senior housing project in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn.

SEC rule would highlight CEO compensation ratios

10/04/2013

The SEC voted on Sept. 18 to propose new rules that would require publicly traded companies to report the ratio between the compensation of chief executive officers and the median pay of their employees. Public companies must already report total CEO compensation.

Can we require overtime work?

10/02/2013
Q. When our business gets busy, is it legal for us to require our nonexempt employees to work overtime on occasion?

Don’t let court take employee’s word on hours

10/01/2013
Here’s a case that should send chills down your spine if you don’t keep meticulous records of every hour worked. A court has allowed a case to proceed based on little more than a worker’s vague allegation that she wasn’t paid overtime for hours in excess of 40 per week.

What are the rules on paying for time spent putting on protective gear?

09/30/2013
Q. Our company policy states that employees are not compensated for the time spent changing into their uniforms, which includes special protective wear. A new employee was surprised to find out he couldn’t clock in before getting geared up. Are we required to pay ­workers for that time, or is it up to the discretion of each individual company?

Restaurants face IRS ruling change on tips

09/30/2013
An IRS ruling may change a long-standing practice in the restaurant industry when it takes effect Jan. 1, 2014. Gratuities that restaurants impose on large groups will no longer be considered tips after that date. Instead, restaurants must count them as wages.

EEOC cheesed over pay, hours at Philly fast-food franchise

09/30/2013
Market Burgers, which owns a Checkers fast-food franchise in West Philadelphia, faces charges it pays women less than men and doesn’t let women work as many hours as men.

No place to hide for scofflaw California employers

09/27/2013
If the California Department of Indus­­­trial Relations comes after you, don’t expect to get away with anything illegal. The department reports that since January 2013, a joint enforcement task force of state regulatory agencies looking for pay and safety violations has wound up citing 83% of work sites inspected.