I have blogged many times about cases where relatively small amounts of compensation, bonus type compensation, are not included when an employer calculates the regular rate for overtime and a class action ensues. Now, this is happening with COVID-related bonuses and extra monies. A recent example is a case where a group of workers have
Third Circuit Shoots Down Exorbitant Demand For Attorneys’ Fees Where Plaintiffs Win Only A Few Thousand Dollars: There Is Hope!
A big part of defending any wage hour case and settling such a case is the issue of attorneys’ fees for the plaintiff’s lawyer. Plaintiff attorneys are always having grandiose notions of what they are entitled to and these issues often become the deal breaking issue of the litigation. Well, maybe us defense lawyers are
FLSA Misclassification Case Highlights The Vagaries Of The Administrative And Professional Exemptions
There are certain industries or fields where misclassification issues are prevalent because the nature of the duties of the workers “seems” to smack of exempt work but then there is a doubt as to whether they truly meet all of the elements of the exemption(s). A recent example of this tension is the FLSA collective
Another Security Line Check Case: The Extent Of The De Minimis Rule Explored
There have been a host of federal cases recently focusing on whether time spent waiting in security lines is compensable. Some have gone for the plaintiffs and others for the employer, as these cases are nuanced and fact-sensitive. A recent example of this genre is a Nike case where the Company will pay $8.25 million
Doctrine of Practical Continuity Tested Again In Case Involving FLSA Motor Carrier Exemption
I have always been interested in the Motor Carrier Act (MCA) exemption of the Fair Labor Standards Act, 29 USC 213(b)(1), especially in the doctrine of “practical continuity” which is one of the ways that interstate commerce is determined and have defended a number of cases where we had to rely on practical continuity for
Second Circuit Takes Hard Line On FLSA Willfulness Standard: Defense Practitioners Given A New Weapon!
Every time a plaintiff files a FLSA lawsuit, they seek a third year, one longer than the usual two year statute of limitations, claiming that the violations were “willful.” It has become a matter of course and defendant attorneys must begin any settlement negotiations knowing that the amount claimed has been artificially inflated with a
Paid Time Off For Getting The Vaccine: States Are Moving Towards That.
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
Spring Ahead, Fall Back, Pay Now, Pay Later: Daylight Savings Time And The FLSA
This Sunday was Daylight Savings Time and we pushed the clocks ahead by one hour. This is, on a human level, a welcome event, as it signals winter’s end. Now, I can fling away any vestiges of Seasonal Affective Disorder and turn my attention to outdoor activities. Employers, however, must be vigilant on the particular
Employees Working In Slaughterhouse Settle FLSA Overtime Case: When Will Employers Learn?
It is amazing to me that employers still do not understand that there exists an inviolate obligation on their parts to pay proper overtime. It is not proper for an employer to believe that if it treats its employees “well,” or if its business is “green” and it tries to do the right thing by
Disturbing Ninth Circuit Holding On Inclusion Of Per Diem Expense Reimbursement In FLSA Regular Rate
As a general rule, employee expense reimbursements are not includible in the regular rate for purposes of overtime computation. When the reimbursements, however, are unreasonable or out of whack (i.e. too high) as regards the particular expense, then the USDOL takes the position that the reimbursements are really a backdoor way of paying the employee