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FLSA

California appeals court gives go-ahead to meal-period class action

09/21/2015
The Court of Appeals of California has upheld class-action certification allowing several employees to represent over 200,000 fellow current and former employees who claim they weren’t provided appropriate meal periods or premium pay for missed breaks.

Piece-rate pay trims $8 million from Petco

09/17/2015
National retailer Petco has settled a lawsuit filed by employees in California who groom pets in the company’s stores. The suit alleged the company failed to pay the workers minimum wage and overtime in violation of state and federal laws.

DOL releases proposed revisions to ‘white collar’ overtime exemptions

09/14/2015

On July 6, the U.S. Department of Labor published a 295-page Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) seeking public comments on proposed changes to the “white collar” overtime exemption regulations. The comment period closed on Sept. 4. The DOL proposes specific changes to the salary level requirements for the majority of the white collar exemptions and also seeks commentary regarding potential changes to the duties tests for the exemptions.

Volunteers at seasonal events don’t get FLSA protection

09/10/2015

The Fair Labor Standards Act carves out several special circumstances under which the FLSA does not apply. One of these applies to seasonal amusement establishments. As the following case shows, that includes an annual baseball “fanfest,” that relies on volunteers for success.

California Uber drivers win right to file class-action suit

09/09/2015
A federal judge has ruled that a group of Uber drivers in California can proceed with their class-action lawsuit against the ride-hailing service. The Sept. 1 decision to certify Uber drivers as a class clears the way for a massive lawsuit that could encompass as many as 160,000 plaintiffs.

Can I allow interns to work for free?

09/09/2015
Q. A few local college students have expressed interest in interning at my dental office. I could really use their help filing papers, putting things on the computer and dealing with the patients. Can I utilize unpaid interns without breaking the law?

How should I accommodate breastfeeding at work?

09/09/2015
Q. An employees is about to return from maternity leave and wants to pump breast milk at work. She is asking for a room specifically designated for pumping, as she feels uncomfortable doing so in the bathroom or the office, and for several breaks during the day. Do I have to provide this accommodation?

HR orgs pan DOL’s proposed overtime rule

09/09/2015
Fewer opportunities to work overtime, less workplace flexibility for employers and employees alike: That’s the likely result of the Department of Labor’s proposed rule to more than double the salary threshold that makes white-collar managers eligible for overtime pay, according to comments submitted to the DOL by the Society for Human Resource Management and WorldatWork, two prominent HR organizations.

Prepare for Department of Labor’s proposed new overtime rule

09/01/2015
On July 6, the U.S. Department of Labor published a long-anticipated proposed rule that would make overtime pay available to nearly 5 million workers who are currently exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act’s overtime requirement. The proposed rule would raise the minimum salary level for overtime exemption and raise the salary threshold for certain highly compensated employees.

What are California’s unique overtime rules?

08/26/2015
Three questions about overtime pay in California.