A federal court in Arizona recently rejected a defense for Arizona employers seeking to avoid liability for unpaid wages under the Arizona Wage Act (AWA). In Arrison v. Walmart, 2023 WL 4421425 (D. Ariz. July 10, 2023), the...more
9/1/2023
/ Arizona ,
Class Action ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Retailers ,
State Legislatures ,
Summary Judgment ,
Virus Testing ,
Wage Act ,
Wage and Hour
The U.S. Department of Labor issued an opinion letter on May 30, 2023, clarifying how employers should calculate Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leave taken by employees “during a week that includes a holiday.” The letter...more
Recently, in Helix Energy Solutions Group v. Hewitt, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a daily-rate worker who earned over $200,000 annually was not exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act’s (FLSA) overtime requirements. In...more
3/3/2023
/ Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
Exempt-Employees ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Helix Energy Solutions Group Inc v Hewitt No 21-984 ,
Highly Compensated Employees ,
Minimum Salary ,
Multi-Factor Test ,
Over-Time ,
Salaried Employees ,
SCOTUS ,
Wage and Hour
With the 2022 California legislative year closed, it is once again time to examine the new legislation that will affect entities operating within the state. Summaries of key legislation are below, with relevant action items...more
10/25/2022
/ Bereavement Leave ,
Cal-OSHA ,
California ,
California Family Rights Act (CFRA) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Data Reporting ,
Employee Tracking ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Fast-Food Industry ,
FEHA ,
Governor Newsom ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Independent Contractors ,
Labor Reform ,
New Legislation ,
Paid Leave ,
Pay Data ,
Pay Transparency ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Rest and Meal Break ,
State Labor Laws ,
Statute of Limitations ,
Unions ,
Wage and Hour ,
WARN Act
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (the Proposed Rule) on October 13, 2022, that proposes guidance on determining employee or independent contractor classification under the Fair...more
With the 2021 California legislative year closed, it is now time to examine the new legislation that will affect California companies. We have summarized the key new legislation below, with relevant action items noted....more
10/26/2021
/ Arbitration ,
California ,
Compliance ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Independent Contractors ,
Labor Regulations ,
New Legislation ,
Paid Family Leave Law ,
Piece-Rate Pay ,
Reporting Requirements ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Tips ,
Unions ,
Wage and Hour ,
Wage Theft ,
Warehouses ,
Workplace Safety
With the surge of COVID-19 cases due to the Delta variant, many employers are considering whether to require employees to be vaccinated, how to encourage employee vaccinations, and the implications of vaccine policies for...more
9/1/2021
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Employment Policies ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Incentives ,
Masks ,
Paid Leave ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Social Distancing ,
Vaccinations ,
Wage and Hour
On January 14, 2021, the California Supreme Court decided Vazquez v. Jan-Pro Franchising International, Inc. The decision holds that the ABC test used to determine independent contractor versus employee status for purposes of...more
1/21/2021
/ ABC Test ,
CA Supreme Court ,
Employee Definition ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
Former Employee ,
Independent Contractors ,
Misclassification ,
Retroactive Application ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) recently published an opinion letter explaining compensability under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) of time spent in voluntary continuing education programs. In FLSA 2020-15, the DOL...more
11/19/2020
/ Compensation ,
Continuing Education ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Training ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Opinion Letter ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Voluntary Participation ,
Wage and Hour
On Election Day 2020, California voters approved Proposition 22 which allows some gig economy companies to continue to classify drivers as independent contractors. These app-based drivers also will be guaranteed minimum...more
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on September 22, 2020, seeking to codify the independent contractor/employee worker classifications into the Fair Labor Standards Act’s...more
9/28/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Definition ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ,
Independent Contractors ,
Misclassification ,
NPRM ,
Proposed Rules ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Wage and Hour
The U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Final Rule revising the joint employer regulations under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) took effect on March 16, 2020, (Final Rule). On September 8, 2020, the Hon. Gregory H....more
9/15/2020
/ Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Records ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Final Rules ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Independent Contractors ,
Joint Employers ,
Misclassification ,
Staffing Agencies ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Subcontractors ,
Wage and Hour
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has modified the previously passed COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave Ordinance by issuing a public order under City of Los Angeles Emergency Authority...more
The California Supreme Court recently issued a decision holding that the time spent on an employer’s premises waiting for and undergoing required exit searches is compensable time that must be paid to employees. The decision...more
The Supreme Court of California recently adopted a new standard for distinguishing between employees and independent contractors under California’s Industrial Welfare Commission (IWC) Wage Orders. Ruling unanimously, the...more
5/8/2018
/ ABC Test ,
CA Supreme Court ,
Employee Definition ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
Gig Economy ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Independent Contractors ,
Misclassification ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued a decision relating to the test for joint employment under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). The decision upheld the Administrative Law Judge’s ruling that two entities...more
Governor Jerry Brown signed S.B. 63 last month, which makes CFRA applicable to businesses with 20+ employees. Under the bill, the California Government Code will be amended as of January 1, 2018 to permit eligible employees...more
On June 7, 2017, U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta announced the withdrawal of the U.S. Department of Labor’s 2015 and 2016 informal guidance on joint employment and independent contractors...more
In a follow-up to the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) release of 12 questions and answers in a publication called “Misclassification Mythbusters,” the DOL has now released a new website called “What is ‘misclassification’?”...more
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) recently released 12 questions and answers in a publication called “Misclassification Mythbusters.” It appears that the publication is intended to educate/inform individuals about whether...more
Two new statutes, signed into law by Arizona Governor Doug Ducey this legislative session, attempt to set new standards on defining the independent contractor relationship and how wages are regulated. Below is a description...more
The Supreme Court issued its decision in Tyson Foods, Inc. v. Bouaphakeo on March 22, 2016. The Court held that a group of employees in a class action could use a statistical study to establish the employer’s liability for...more
3/29/2016
/ Admissible Evidence ,
Class Action ,
Class Certification ,
Doffing ,
Donning ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
SCOTUS ,
Statistical Sampling ,
Tyson Foods v Bouaphakeo ,
Unpaid Overtime ,
Wage and Hour
Although some states have long imposed personal liability on officers and directors for unpaid wages, the laws in both California and New York have recently been amended to address personal liability. This update addresses...more
The California Court of Appeal, Second District, issued an opinion on October 15, 2014, that considered whether the definition of “employee” from the Industrial Welfare Commission Wage Order No. 9 (Wage Order) or the common...more