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Showing 30 posts in Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

California Supreme Court Rejects De Minimis Exception and Requires Employers to Compensate Employees for Every Second of “Off-the-Clock” Work

August 6, 2018 Posted by Christopher R. Kazanowski

Once again, the California Supreme Court has held that California’s wage and hours laws do not always follow well-established rules applicable to claims under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (the FLSA).  More specifically, on July 26, 2018, in Troester v. Starbucks Corp., the California Supreme Court rejected Starbucks’ argument that the FLSA’s de minimis exception to compensable working time applied to wage claims brought under California wage and hour laws.  Instead, the court ruled that California employees must be paid for every minute (and possibly every second) of working time. More

Department of Labor Issues New Opinion Letters, Reversing Obama-Era Policy

April 17, 2018 Posted by Matthew E. Radler

The Department of Labor (DOL) recently issued its first set of opinion letters since 2010, when the Obama administration suspended the practice of issuing such guidance. The return of opinion letters is welcome news for employers. Among other things, obtaining the DOL’s informal opinion on a wage and hour compliance question may help avoid costly disputes and, in certain circumstances, provide affirmative defenses to liability in the event of litigation. More

Fair, Not Necessarily Narrow: Supreme Court Changes Course Regarding the Interpretation of FLSA Exemptions

April 12, 2018 Posted by Jennifer L. Muse, Matthew S. Disbrow

Recently, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling concluding that service advisors at car dealerships are exempt from overtime pay under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). In doing so, the Court abandoned 70 years of precedent, construing FLSA exemptions fairly rather than under the historic narrow standard. This change may signal a more level playing field for employers when courts interpret FLSA exemptions. More

A Tipping Point? DOL Reconsiders Stance on Tip Pooling

December 8, 2017 Posted by Jennifer L. Muse

On December 4, 2017, the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) announced proposed changes that could have a large impact on many businesses that employ tipped workers. Citing changes in state laws and significant litigation involving tip pooling, the DOL is considering rescinding certain restrictions on tip pooling for employers who do not claim a tip credit against the federal minimum wage. A Notice of Proposed Rulemaking regarding these potential changes was published on December 5, 2017 for public comment. More

Employers Beware: The Sixth Circuit Clarifies How Sales Commission Plans Can Violate Wage and Hour Laws – Even When the Employer Does Not Enforce the Plan

November 7, 2017 Posted by Matthew E. Radler

The Sixth Circuit’s recent decision in Stein v. hhgregg, Inc. should be required reading for any employer with a commission workforce. More

New Administration Abandons Appeal of Obama Era Increases, Leaving Status Quo for Now

September 8, 2017 Posted by Jennifer L. Muse

On September 5, 2017, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) dropped its appeal in support of the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) intended increases to the Fair Labor Standards Act’s (FLSA) salary-basis test for the white-collar overtime exemptions. The appeal stemmed from a preliminary injunction issued by a federal district court in Texas, which halted the nationwide implementation of the DOL’s 2016 amendments to the FLSA. The DOJ’s request to dismiss the appeal comes just days after the same federal judge permanently struck down those amendments. More

DOL Takes Another Look at the Overtime Regulations

August 7, 2017 Posted by

The Department of Labor (DOL) recently issued a request for information (RFI) relating to the 2016 amendments to the Fair Labor Standard Act’s (FLSA) overtime regulations. The DOL seeks information “to aid in formulating” revisions to the amended regulations that remain subject to a nationwide injunction. Once again, companies face uncertainty regarding impending changes to the FLSA’s regulations. More

A Return to the “Direct Control” Standard for Joint Employers

June 7, 2017 Posted by Russell S. Linden, Christopher R. Kazanowski, Matthew S. Disbrow, Matthew E. Radler, Jennifer L. Muse

Today, in a return to pre-Obama era standards, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced the withdrawal of two informal guidance letters impacting the “joint employer” doctrine. More

Federal Court Extends Deadline in Appeal of FLSA Amended Overtime Regulations While Government Decides Whether to Press Case or Drop It

February 27, 2017 Posted by Matthew E. Radler

A hot topic in 2016 was the implementation of new regulations more than doubling the minimum required salary amount for the executive, administrative and professional exemptions under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). In late November 2016, a federal court in Texas enjoined the rules from taking effect, and in December, President Obama’s administration appealed that ruling. More

Uncertainty Over Status of FLSA White Collar Amendments Continues: DOL Appeals Injunction to Fifth Circuit

December 5, 2016 Posted by Matthew S. Disbrow

As most employers know by now, on November 22, 2016, a federal court in Texas issued a preliminary injunction that, at least temporarily, halted the implementation of the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) amendments to the Fair Labor Standards Act’s (FLSA) white-collar exemptions. The amendments were to have gone into effect on December 1, 2016, and would have more than doubled the salary requirements for exempt executive, administrative, and professional employees. Much to the business community’s chagrin, this saga continues.  More