The United States Department of Labor (DOL) issued revised regulations on May 18, 2020, effectively expanding the exemptions under Section 7(i) of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which permits certain commissioned employees of “retail or service establishments” to be considered exempt from overtime. Designed to “reduce confusion,” the new rule, which takes effect immediately, … Continue Reading
See our Feb. 28 update regarding the new joint employer rule. On March 16, 2020, new rules on joint employment status under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) will go into effect. The new rules should provide clarity and relief for employers struggling to determine whether they would be treated as joint employers by the … Continue Reading
On Jan. 29, 2020, Senate Bill 327, known as “Charlotte’s Law,” was introduced in the Georgia General Assembly, requiring employers to provide reasonable breaks for pumping breastmilk. The bill was inspired by a public school teacher whose supervisor would not allow her to pump during her planned break. The teacher was given an ultimatum to either … Continue Reading
On Dec. 6, 2019, the Second Circuit issued a decision in Yu v. Hasaki Restaurant, Inc. that will likely impact settlement of wage and hour actions under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). In a split decision, the court reversed a district court ruling and held that judicial approval is not required when settling an FLSA claim … Continue Reading
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) final rule raising the annual minimum salary requirements for the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) overtime exemptions for executive, administrative, and professional employees is effective Jan. 1, 2020. Employers who have not yet begun or completed their audit and review of their employee classifications should immediately start the process … Continue Reading
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) on Sept. 24, 2019, announced a final rule raising the annual minimum salary requirements for the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) overtime exemptions for executive, administrative, and professional employees. The final rule, effective Jan. 1, 2020, will significantly impact businesses. Experts predict the rule could result in the reclassification … Continue Reading
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) on March 7, 2019, issued a new proposed rule raising the annual minimum salary requirements for the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) overtime exemptions for executive, administrative, and professional employees. Under the new rule, the salary level for these “white collar” exemptions will increase from $23,660 per year ($455 per week) … Continue Reading
On July 26, 2018, the California Supreme Court issued a long-awaited decision in Troester v. Starbucks Corporation, in which it considered the applicability of the de minimis doctrine to claims for unpaid wages under the California Labor Code. The de minimis doctrine is an application of the legal maxim that “the law does not concern itself with … Continue Reading
On April 2, 2018, in a 5-4 decision, the United States Supreme Court held that automobile service advisors are not entitled to overtime pay. Although the precise holding is of limited application because few companies outside car dealerships employ individuals as automobile service advisors, the Supreme Court’s analysis will have wide-reaching application. Departing from years … Continue Reading
On March 23, 2018, President Trump signed into law the 2,232-page Omnibus Appropriations bill – HR 1625, Consolidated Appropriations Act for FY 2018, which funds the government for the rest of the fiscal year. Included in that bill were a few paragraphs that prohibit restaurant owners from sharing server tips with supervisors, managers, or themselves. … Continue Reading
On Jan. 5, 2018, the United States Department of Labor (DOL) announced that it will utilize the so-called “primary beneficiary” test to determine whether interns are employees under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). This announcement marks a significant policy change from the DOL’s previous guidance which had been criticized by several courts as overly … Continue Reading
Shareholder Jerrold Goldberg, with the assistance of Practice Group Attorney Melanie Sarver, recently published an article in Law360 discussing the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The FLSA requires the payment of overtime to all employees unless their work fits within one of the statute’s exemptions. The burden of proof for establishing that an FLSA exemption … Continue Reading
A Sixth Circuit opinion filed this week reaffirms what experienced Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) attorneys have known for some time: when it comes to employer arbitration programs, they are not always the panacea that employers (and their lawyers) believe them to be. In Taylor v. Pilot Corp. et al., Case No. 16-5326, a plaintiff-employee … Continue Reading
On June 7, 2017, the United States Department of Labor (DOL) reversed its previous guidance issued during the administration of President Barack Obama that broadened the circumstances in which employers could be held liable for misclassification of employees as independent contractors, and as a joint employer with a separate business. New Secretary of Labor Alex … Continue Reading
On July 14, 2016, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) published a revised proposal to collect data on employees’ compensation and hours worked through the EEO-1 reports that larger employers are required to submit annually. Notwithstanding numerous public comments stressing the burdens that this reporting requirement would impose on employers and the limited statistical utility that … Continue Reading
On Tuesday, June 21, 2016, in Greenberg Traurig’s Las Vegas office, and Wednesday, June 22, 2016, in Greenberg Traurig’s Phoenix office, GT will host a Roundtable Discussion regarding the new regulations issued by the DOL. These regulations will likely go into effect in a few weeks, changing one of the key components of federal wage and hour … Continue Reading
As we previously discussed here, the United States Department of Labor (DOL) recently changed the Fair Labor Standards Act’s (FLSA’s or the Act’s) Salary Level and Salary Basis tests for the white collar exemptions to the Act’s overtime requirement. Effective Dec. 1, 2016, employees must be paid at least $47,476 annually and $913 per week … Continue Reading
On May 18, 2016, President Obama and U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Thomas Perez announced the issuance of the Final Rule updating the salary requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act’s overtime exemptions. The increase in salary standard, which will go into effect on Dec. 1, 2016, boosts the minimum salary level for exempt status … Continue Reading
As it really is not in the GT California Labor and Employment Group’s interest for this to be the final straw that causes national employers to throw up their hands in surrender and decamp from California, we offer an interim planning guide for developing the 2017 payroll budget. The larger import of the FLSA regulations … Continue Reading
On May 18, 2016, the United States Department of Labor (DOL) unveiled new overtime regulations that represent the largest change in the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) in over two-decades. The final version of the new FLSA rule will increase the salary threshold from $23,660 annually ($455/week) to $47,476 annually ($913/week) for a worker to … Continue Reading
Jim Boudreau, shareholder at Greenberg Traurig, was recently quoted in two articles in Bloomberg BNA’s Labor and Employment Blog series discussing issues relating to Article III in Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) class and collective actions. Jim also discussed the federal courts’ reaction to Campbell-Ewald and the potential for due process issues that may arise … Continue Reading
Some important Supreme Court cases are hard to accurately capture in a sound bite, and this is one of them. In a narrow holding, the Supreme Court issued a 6-2 decision in Tyson Foods, Inc. v. Bouaphakeo, 577 U.S. ___ (2016), addressing class claims for overtime compensation certified under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23 … Continue Reading
On Monday, March 14, 2016, the Department of Labor (DOL) sent its final rule revising the white collar overtime exemption regulations of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) to the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The OMB’s review is the final step in the regulatory process before the revised regulations are … Continue Reading
On March 14, 2016, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) via its Wage and Hour Division forwarded its proposed modifications to the white collar exemptions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) to the Congressional Office of Management and Budget (OMB). This is the final step before the new regulation is officially published, allowing Congress … Continue Reading
