I have been asked many times by clients if they need to give employees paid time off in order to get the vaccine. I tell them (in New Jersey) that they are not compelled to do so, but it is a good idea. Some States have gone farther than just suggesting it is a “good
New Jersey Business Association Challenges Union Boondoggle Requirement of Mandatory Apprenticeship Program For Construction Employers
I do a great deal of prevailing wage defense on behalf of employers, both on a federal level (i.e. Davis-Bacon Act) and the State of New Jersey prevailing wage statute. It sometimes seems that trade unions are able to aggressively lobby the NJDOL to take administrative actions that militate against non-union employers or make it
Payroll Audit Independent Determination Program Is a Bust… for an Obvious Reason!
When the USDOL self-reporting program was announced, I was highly skeptical. Even though there seemed to be assurances that no undue enforcement actions would be taken, it just did not seem that employers would voluntarily subject themselves to such government review. Evidently, I was right. The USDOL has announced that this voluntary compliance program, the
New Jersey DOL Poster Basically Invites Workers to Claim They Are Not Independent Contractors
The State of New Jersey (and many other states) has started to tighten up laws regarding independent contractor status. One troubling component (to management-side practitioners and employers alike) of this New Jersey initiative is to compel employers to post a notice that explains elements of independent contractor law and, essentially, invites workers to file suits
Many Wage and Hour Issues Arise in Return-to-Work Scenarios From COVID-19
We are seeing states start to re-open and businesses start to come back to life and bring their employees back. There are many difficult economic issues that surround these developments, not the least of which is the continuing need to comply with the Fair Labor Standards Act (and state wage and hour laws). These issues
Another Construction Industry Wage-Hour Lawsuit: The Trend Continues
The construction industry has had a long history of wage violations, whether of prevailing wage laws or just “ordinary” wage hour laws. Another example of this trend has emerged in New Jersey where an entity (and its subcontractors) have been sued in federal court in a collective action for alleged failure to pay overtime. The
Organ Procurement Coordinator Found Exempt Under FLSA Highly Compensated Exemption: A Case Study in the HCE
I have found a very interesting exemption case involving a rather unique job title that also is very instructive in the interpretation of the Highly Compensated Exemption (“HCE”) under the Part 541 FLSA exemption tests. The case involved an employee whose title was Organ Procurement Coordinator, who was seeking back due overtime, claiming he was
Pandemic Instigates First of (Probably) Many Lawsuits on Wage Payment
Well, here we are, still in the midst of this horrible COVID-19 pandemic, staying home, scared to go out, wearing masks and gloves, but yet, the first lawsuit(s) involving virus issues have already been filed. In this instance, right in my home state of New Jersey, a hair stylist has filed a class and collective
Fluctuating Work Week Calculation of Back Due Overtime Not Allowed by Pennsylvania Supreme Court
I have long been a fan of the fluctuating work week (FWW) method of paying overtime to non-exempt salaried employees. This computation yields a half-time calculation, i.e. a lower calculation than dividing the salary by forty and then calculating time and one half of that number. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has recently held that this
Uber Case Shows How Tough New Jersey Is on Independent Contractor Determinations
I have blogged numerous times about the strictness of the New Jersey A-B-C test as applied to possible independent contractors. The prime example of this is the very recent assessment of Uber for $650,000,000 in back-due unemployment contributions. This incredibly large assessment, certain to be litigated about for years, is a sign to employers, large,