The U.S. Labor Department's Wage and Hour Division has released "Administrator's Interpretation No. 2015-1" to address what it characterizes as the "problematic trend" of allegedly misclassifying workers as independent...more
Last month, Georgia became the latest state to pass legislation governing the payment of wages via “payroll cards.” Gov. Nathan Deal signed the new law on May 5, 2015. Prior to the passing of this bill, the payment of wages...more
Employers await with bated breath the release of the U.S. Labor Department's proposed new definitions for the federal Fair Labor Standards Act's Section 13(a)(1) executive, administrative, professional, outside-sales, and...more
A federal judge has scuttled key aspects of the U.S. Labor Department's (DOL's) rule that would have extended the federal Fair Labor Standards Act's minimum wage and overtime requirements to many home care workers. The rule...more
Most healthcare employers require employees to wear some sort of uniform. Of course, the most familiar uniforms in this setting are “scrubs,” but some employers require lab coats or other garments.
Some healthcare...more
A federal judge has scuttled key aspects of the U.S. Department of Labor's rule that would have extended the federal Fair Labor Standards Act's minimum-wage and overtime requirements to many home care workers starting January...more
Solicitor of Labor M. Patricia Smith spoke at a December continuing-legal-education conference in Atlanta. Her remarks in a couple of areas were especially interesting.
Coming "White Collar" Exemption...more
We have reported that the U.S. Labor Department's changes in its regulatory provisions affecting the federal Fair Labor Standard Act's Section 13(a)(15) "companionship" exemption and the FLSA's Section 13(b)(21) overtime...more
Overtime compensation under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act must be based upon an employee's "regular rate" of pay. More and more frequently nowadays, claimants allege that their FLSA overtime compensation should have...more
For some time now, we have followed the U.S. Labor Department's efforts to curtail the federal Fair Labor Standards Act's Section 13(a)(15) "companionship" exemption. Those efforts culminated in a Final Rule published in...more
10/9/2014
A recent U.S. Labor Department press release highlights a growing area of scrutiny under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act: Paying "per diem" amounts to non-exempt employees....more
Federal courts continue to embrace a broad view in evaluating the question of whether federal Fair Labor Standards Act liability may be imposed upon a successor company in particular situations.
...more
We reported earlier that the U.S. Labor Department has issued a Final Rule re-stating the requirements for and limitations upon the federal Fair Labor Standards Act's Section 13(a)(15) "companionship exemption". The changes...more
President Obama has instructed the U.S. Labor Department to revise the federal Fair Labor Standards Act's so-called "white collar" exemptions in a "Presidential Memorandum" released on March 13. This effort is intended (as...more
(Labor Letter, February 2014) -
In recent years employers have become all too familiar with lawsuits alleging violations of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). According to the Administrative Office of the...more
Government efforts aimed at cracking down on perceived independent-contractor misclassification show no signs of slowing down as 2014 begins. On November 12, 2013, the “Payroll Fraud Prevention Act of 2013” (PFPA) was...more
A decision by the Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals (with jurisdiction over Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas) illustrates and exacerbates the utter and unwarranted morass into which the calculation of overtime pay has...more
We reported in April and May about the fast-tracked "Working Families Flexibility Act of 2013" passed in the U.S. House of Representatives. This measure proposes to amend the federal Fair Labor Standards Act to permit...more
Months after its April 2013 target date, the U.S. Labor Department announced this afternoon that it is issuing a Final Rule re-stating the requirements for and limitations upon the "companionship" exemption in the federal...more
The Eleventh Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals (with jurisdiction over Alabama, Florida, and Georgia) recently expanded the court's 1982 ruling in Lynn's Food Stores, Inc. v. U.S. limiting the settlement of claims under the...more
A recent decision by the Second Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals (Connecticut, New York, and Vermont) is a reminder that individual business owners and management members can face claims of personal liability for federal Fair...more
In April, the U.S. Labor Department (DOL) is scheduled to announce regulations that will almost certainly increase the cost of employing individuals as home care aides who are considered “companions” under the Fair Labor...more
A lawsuit filed against a business in Minneapolis, Minnesota demonstrates that the problems associated with workplace violence do not necessarily end once the violence stops. Recently, the family of one of six individuals...more
The U.S. House of Representatives will consider amending the federal Fair Labor Standards Act to permit private-sector employers to offer compensatory time off in lieu of monetary overtime compensation. The fast-tracked...more
A decision from the Seventh Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals (with jurisdiction over Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin) offers an important reminder to employers about the potential for successor liability under the federal Fair...more
4/4/2013