Usually, it is the USDOL that is seeking sanctions against an employer who has, in wholesale fashion, violated the Fair Labor Standards Act. Well, for once that wheel has turned the other way. A federal judge has just sanctioned Labor Secretary Tom Perez for
The financial giant Morgan Stanley announced that it will settle four FLSA collective actions for six million dollars; the suits, filed by financial adviser trainees, alleged that they were not paid overtime properly. The case is entitled Devries v. Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC et al. and was filed in federal court in the Southern
There is no industry or business that is immune to FLSA collective actions. One might think that the a “high end” jewelry business would not be hit with such a suit, but a California federal judge has just certified a class of Zales employees who have alleged that their employer did not pay overtime properly;
Usually, when a party does not respond to discovery requests, it can face sanctions, including the dismissal of the case (if he/they are the plaintiff(s). Well, that truism took a hit the other day when a New Jersey federal judge did not dismiss the claims of two opt-in plaintiffs in a FLSA collective action against
The USDOL has announced a proposed rule for implementing the President’s Executive Order, which would require federal government contractors to offer employees up to seven days of paid sick leave. This is a bold initiative that is paralleling this fairly common fringe benefit offered by many private employers, but which construction contractors were perhaps less
I have followed this case closely for some time, I blogged in September that I thought the City of Chicago had positioned itself in the most favorable position, with the policies and procedures it had implemented, to win this very large class action. It seems I was right. The federal district court judge has ruled
Guess what? Wage suits are increasing. Hardly a surprise. A recent study shows that wage-hour lawsuits were up about 8 percent over last year, which may stem (in part) from the recent USDOL initiatives on revising the FLSA exemption regulations and its “white paper” on independent contractor issues. There is also the problem with applying
I often blog about what is and is not working time under the FLSA. Many class actions have been brought on these issues, with some focused on time waiting for security checks. A class of retail workers working for Apple Inc. have sought a ruling that the time they spend having their bags checked at
I have blogged a lot and given numerous presentations on the dangers of off-the-clock work time FLSA lawsuits. They are proliferating at a geometric rate and there seems no abatement in sight. There also is no industry that is not subject to being targeted for a lawsuit alleging unpaid work time. Now, a group of