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Employment Law

Watch out for retaliation after employee has complained about bias or harassment

08/26/2016
Sure it’s frustrating when an employee gripes about general workplace problems. Don’t let that frustration spill over into retaliation. If the worker is making a good-faith complaint about alleged discrimination or harassment, he’s protected from retaliation.

Joint employer enforcement snares Philly-area jeweler

08/26/2016

A Melrose Park, Pa., jewelry distributor for several major department stores and the temp agency that provides its workers have agreed to settle allegations that as joint employers they violated the Fair Labor Standards Act.

DOL mounts vigorous defense against business groups’ lawsuits

08/26/2016
It’s been a busy summer for the beleaguered lawyers at the U.S. Department of Labor. On Aug. 19, the DOL filed briefs in three separate cases filed against it in federal courts, covering everything from benefits advice to safety records to resisting unionization.

Bad bosses: Beware quid pro quo harassment

08/26/2016
To win a quid pro quo sexual harassment case, an employee has to show that two things occurred.

Reclassifying staff? Beware 7 big pay mistakes

08/25/2016
Starting Dec. 1, the new DOL rules take effect that nearly double the salary threshold at which most salaried workers become exempt from overtime.

For better or worse, managers set the tone

08/25/2016
A Connecticut garment maker will pay $80,000 to settle an EEOC sexual harassment lawsuit.

4 steps for implementing a litigation hold

08/24/2016
Smart employers follow a regular policy of computer-file purging to keep the organization’s network free of unnecessary data. But what if your organization thinks it may be a lawsuit target?

California’s San Miguel Homes agrees to $425,000 FLSA settlement

08/22/2016
San Miguel Homes for the Elderly, an assisted-living facility in the Bay Area, has ended its militant opposition to U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division (WHD) enforcement efforts and agreed to pay $425,000 in back wages to 26 caregivers.

Palm Desert, Calif., buffet settles flat-rate pay claims for $128K

08/22/2016
The owners of Hibachi City Buffet in Palm Desert, Calif., will pay more than $128,000 in back wages and penalties following an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division.

Nickle-and-diming plaintiff? Prepare to pay yourself

08/22/2016
If you pester an employee who is suing you with expensive pretrial tactics, you may wind up on the hook for his legal bills.