The law regulating the payment of wages and work hours is a vibrant area: the “fight for $15.00”; battles over who can receive tips (and whether the tip credit should be eliminated entirely); whether workers should be given additional pay when employers cancel shifts and fail to provide “predictive schedules”; and what should happen to that pesky overtime rule. These are just some of the hot button issues addressed in 2018. As 2019 begins, we take a look back at notable wage and hour developments on the federal and state level in 2018.
Articles Discussing General Topics Under The FLSA.
U.S. Department of Labor’s Investigation of Arizona Hospital Highlights Need for Awareness of Workplace Lactation Accommodation Laws and Policies
As the result of an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), a hospital in Arizona was recently ordered to comply with the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requirement that employers must provide nursing mothers adequate time and space to express breast milk. The WHD announced on December 11 that it entered into a compliance agreement with Yuma Regional Medical Center requiring the employer to provide training to all supervisors, and to provide all employees returning from maternity leave with information about their right to express milk in the workplace. The investigation revealed that the hospital previously denied requests for breaks from nursing employees and failed to provide a private location in which to express breast milk in violation of the FLSA.
U.S. Department of Labor Releases Four New Opinion Letters
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced that it has issued four new opinion letters. DOL opinion letters are designed to interpret and provide clarity to federal labor laws, and these four new letters target issues under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
WPI Wage Watch: Minimum Wage & Overtime Developments (October Edition)
If you procrastinated on finding a costume for the office Halloween party, never fear—just put “hipster” or “zombie” before any person, profession, or thing, and you’re set. After indulging in too much sugar and embarrassing group photos, relax and unwind with our always cool and very much alive update on minimum wage, tip, and overtime developments.
WPI Wage Watch: Minimum Wage & Overtime Developments (September Edition)
The past month was full of minimum wage, tip, and overtime activity: amendments; annual rate adjustments; ballot measure battles; legal challenges; and new bills. It was a September to remember.
Hurricane Florence and the FLSA
With Hurricane Florence threatening the Carolinas, this is a good time for employers to review their inclement weather policies and to make sure they properly compensate employees who miss work because of adverse weather.
Department of Labor Issues Additional FLSA Opinion Letters, Acknowledges New “Fair Reading” Standard for Overtime Exemptions
In furtherance of a practice reinstituted earlier this year, on August 28, 2018 the DOL’s Wage Hour Division (WHD) issued four new opinion letters covering FLSA topics. The current administration began that practice when, in January of this year, it reinstated seventeen opinion letters originally issued during the George W. Bush administration but subsequently withdrawn during the Obama administration. The WHD then issued three new letters in April, prior to last week’s issuance. “Opinion letters help provide greater clarity for American job creators and employees,” commented Acting Wage and Hour Division Administrator Bryan Jarrett, and “show the ongoing efforts of the Department to provide the tools employers need to comply with the law and protect workers.”
Florida Federal Court Provides Path for Employer Recovery of Attorney’s Fees in FLSA Cases
In most lawsuits filed under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), an employer’s ability to recover any attorney’s fees under the prevailing standard – that a plaintiff filed the case in “bad faith, vexatiously or wantonly” – is much too difficult to satisfy. A recent decision from the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, however, provides an avenue for recovery of such fees – at least in part. Aralar v. Scott-McRae Automotive Group, LLLP, 2018 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 64045 (M.D. Fla. Apr. 17, 2018).
WPI Wage Watch: Minimum Wage & Overtime Updates (March Edition)
Never mind the Ides of March, for employers with tipped employees: beware the federal budget process. Presumably no one’s March Madness bracket had federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) amendments going to, let alone winning, D.C.’s “big dance.” How this Cinderella story plays out remains to be seen, so, during federal legislative half-time, we’ll take a quick look at the scores from other minimum wage, tips, and overtime games around the country.
The Timekeeper – A Quarterly Guide to Developments in Wage/Hour Law – Spring 2018 | Issue 1
Welcome to the inaugural issue of FordHarrison’s newest publication, The Timekeeper – A Quarterly Guide to Developments in Wage/Hour Law, brought to you by the Wage/Hour Practice Group. Each quarter, FordHarrison’s Wage/Hour Practice Group members will provide subscribers with updates on the DOL, the latest in case law, and insight into wage and hour developments.
DOL to Roll Out Payroll Audit Independent Determination (PAID) Program
Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced the Payroll Audit Independent Determination (PAID) Program. PAID will be rolled out in April 2018 as a six-month pilot program to incentivize employers to address any wage and hour underpayments under the Fair Labor Standard Act (FLSA).
WPI Wage Watch: Minimum Wage & Overtime Updates (February Edition)
February may be the shortest month of the year, but what it lacked in days it made up with minimum wage and overtime developments at the federal, state, and local levels.
You’re Gonna Need A Bigger Boat: Pay Equity Initiatives Flood the State Legislatures
In 2017, legislatures in more than 40 jurisdictions across the United States considered more than 100 bills intended to narrow the lingering pay gap between men and women. While only a handful of those proposals ultimately became law, this wave shows no signs of subsiding. Most state legislatures are back in session, and lawmakers are quickly picking up where they left off.
New Year – New Wage Hour Opinions (Sort Of)
Executive Summary: In a change from the prior administration, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) on Friday reinstated nearly 20 “opinion letters” previously published under the Bush administration, but withdrawn prior to implementation by the Obama administration. The U.S. DOL also issued field bulletins providing new guidance on enforcement positions. The reissued letters predominately focus on specific industries; however, three of opinions generally apply to all employers. Below is a brief summary of each opinion.
Exempt Employee Pay Minimums Will Increase in 2018 in Various States
As employers wait to see whether – and to what extent – the U.S. Department of Labor will revise the minimum amount they must pay to executive, administrative, and professionals for exemption from the Fair Labor Standards Act’s (FLSA) minimum wage and overtime requirements, state-law rates for these employees are scheduled to increase in 2018 (and on New Year’s Eve in New York).