Wage & Hour

  • April 30, 2025

    Nurse Says 6th Circ. Should Look At Notice Ruling In Pay Suit

    A Tennessee federal court erred in turning down a nurse's bid to reach others in her suit accusing Acadia Healthcare of meal break violations and unpaid overtime because her discovery issues were not resolved, the nurse said, urging the Sixth Circuit to weigh in.

  • April 30, 2025

    Marine Reservist Says Retaliation Suit Should Go To Trial

    A U.S. Marine Corps reservist urged a Texas federal court to keep in play his lawsuit alleging a professional services company fired him after two months because he took time off to attend training, saying the firm's reasoning that he was let go for poor performance is bogus.

  • April 30, 2025

    Coal Mining Cos.' $15.2M Wage Deal Needs Revision

    A Kentucky federal judge declined to greenlight a $15.2 million settlement resolving miners' class and collective action against several mining companies over unpaid wages, saying the deal must be revised because the wage and hour landscape has changed over the past few years.

  • April 30, 2025

    Ex-PETA Worker Says 24/7 On-Call Policy Ducked Wages

    People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals implemented an illegal 24/7 on-call policy that cheated social media employees of wages and overtime, and terminated those who complained about it, a former employee said in a lawsuit in California state court.

  • April 30, 2025

    Unaccepted Offer Can't End Server's Tip Credit Suit

    A Texas federal court ruled that it still had jurisdiction over a server's proposed collective action accusing a Houston-area restaurant of violating tip credit requirements, saying the worker has not accepted a $1,000 offer to end her case.

  • April 30, 2025

    Muji, Uniqlo Accused Of Failing To Pay Workers On Time

    Japanese retailers Muji and Uniqlo illegally paid employees biweekly despite the New York Labor Law requiring that manual workers be paid at the end of each workweek, according to two proposed class and collective actions filed separately against the companies in federal court. 

  • April 30, 2025

    Michael Best Gains Higher Ed Leader In Austin From Littler

    Michael Best & Friedrich LLP has deepened its labor and employment practice group with a partner in Austin who also serves as co-chair of the firm's higher education industry team and came aboard from Littler Mendelson PC.

  • April 30, 2025

    Bipartisan House Members Pitch Expanded Paid Family Leave

    A bipartisan group of House lawmakers unveiled legislation Wednesday that they said would expand access to paid family leave by incentivizing states to establish their own programs and facilitating the exchange of information between state and federal officials.

  • April 30, 2025

    NYC Paid Record High Of $2B In Legal Claims In 2024

    New York City paid nearly $2 billion last year to settle legal claims, setting a record high for the payouts with a half-billion dollar increase over the previous year, according to new data released by the city's fiscal watchdog on Wednesday.

  • April 30, 2025

    Justices Say Reservists Get Extra Pay No Matter Wartime Role

    The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday that federally employed military reservists called to active duty during wartime or a national emergency are entitled to a top-up differential pay, regardless of their specific role.

  • April 29, 2025

    NY Contractor Hasn't Paid Caregivers In A Month, Suit Says

    A New York state contractor that helps administer a Medicaid program has forced thousands of caregivers to face a "dizzying array of technical problems" and caused many to not receive any pay over the past month, a proposed class and collective action filed in federal court said.

  • April 29, 2025

    Defunct Media Co.'s $4.5M WARN Act Deal Gets Initial OK

    Former digital media startup The Messenger will pay $4.5 million to 275 workers who claimed the company didn't respect the firing notice timeline federal law mandates, after a New York federal judge greenlighted the deal.

  • April 29, 2025

    Littler Brings Back Arbitration Pro In Calif.

    Labor and employment firm Littler Mendelson PC is expanding its California arbitration team, announcing Tuesday that it is welcoming back an employment attorney who left briefly to join Whitney Thompson & Jeffcoach LLP.

  • April 29, 2025

    X Can't Escape Unjust Firing Claim In Severance Suit

    Three former Twitter executives can proceed with their claim that Elon Musk and the company owe them millions in severance benefits after falsely claiming they were fired justly, a California federal judge ruled, pointing to another suit mirroring nearly identical allegations.

  • April 29, 2025

    Disability Care Center Cuts Deal To End Overnight Pay Suit

    An Arkansas disability care center will pay $130,000 to resolve a collective action accusing it of denying workers pay for overnight hours they spent caring for in-home patients, a filing in federal court said.

  • April 28, 2025

    Mich. Nurses Quit Claims Of Pay Withheld For Breaks Untaken

    Two registered nurses agreed to drop their claims of unpaid wages against the two locations of a Michigan healthcare system they had accused in federal court of requiring them to work through meal breaks without pay, ending the case Monday in federal court.

  • April 28, 2025

    Waldorf Astoria Spa Workers Want Wage Suit Kept Alive

    Spa workers told a Hawaii federal court they satisfactorily backed up their allegations that a Waldorf Astoria profited from not compensating them properly and that it retaliated against them after their suit was filed, urging the court to deny the company's bid to shake the suit.

  • April 28, 2025

    DoorDash Rally Shows Wage Disputes Can Outlast AG Deals

    A rally of workers claiming DoorDash stole their pay demonstrates how gig companies continue to face wage allegations even after reaching high-profile settlements with state attorneys general.

  • April 28, 2025

    Teamsters Say UPS Fleeced Workers Through Pay Deductions

    The United Parcel Service deducted hundreds of dollars from unionized workers' April 3 paychecks without their consent, a Teamsters unit and four employees told a New York federal court. 

  • April 28, 2025

    Saltz Mongeluzzi Hit With 2nd Suit On Heels Of Wage Suit Win

    Days after a civil suit claiming Saltz Mongeluzzi & Bendesky PC violated fair labor standards ended with a jury verdict in favor of the firm, a former paralegal filed a complaint in Philadelphia federal court alleging she was subjected to harassment and discriminating comments up until her resignation.

  • April 28, 2025

    Reed Smith Lands Squire Patton Employment Ace In Atlanta

    Reed Smith LLP has added a Squire Patton Boggs LLP partner to its Atlanta office, strengthening its labor and employment practice after opening the office in January, the firm announced on Monday.

  • April 28, 2025

    Elevance Nurses Say Their Right To OT Is Beyond Dispute

    Health insurer Elevance can't justify its decision to deny nurses overtime wages using one of the exemptions under the Fair Labor Standards Act, a collective of workers told a North Carolina federal court, asking for a pretrial win in their suit.

  • April 25, 2025

    Harvard Can't Escape Ousted Ice Hockey Coach's Bias Suit

    A Massachusetts federal judge refused to nix a former Harvard University ice hockey coach's sex bias suit alleging she was paid less than her male colleagues, issuing an order Friday that agreed with a magistrate judge's report rejecting Harvard's argument that her claims were filed too late.  

  • April 25, 2025

    Defunct Media Co. To Pay $4.5M In NY WARN Act Case

    Former digital media startup The Messenger has agreed to pay $4.5 million to a class of 275 workers who claimed in New York federal court that the company didn't give them enough notice about its layoffs and shutdown, the parties said on Friday.

  • April 25, 2025

    What's Behind The Wider Pay Gap Amid Equal Pay Innovation

    Equal pay laws have evolved at a rapid clip in recent years, yet the pay gap widened, illustrating the lingering impact of COVID-19 on the workforce and the importance of continued innovation, attorneys say.

Expert Analysis

  • How To Start Applying DOL's Independent Contractor Test

    Author Photo

    Last week, the U.S. Department of Labor finalized a worker classification rule that helpfully includes multiple factors that employers can leverage to systematically evaluate the economic realities of working relationships, says Elizabeth Arnold and Samantha Stelman at Berkeley Research Group.

  • PAGA Turns 20: An Employer Road Map For Managing Claims

    Author Photo

    As California’s Private Attorneys General Act turns 20, the arbitrability of individual and representative claims remains relatively unsettled — but employers can potentially avoid litigation involving both types of claims by following guidance from the California Supreme Court’s Adolph v. Uber ruling, say attorneys at Mintz.

  • Water Cooler Talk: Insights On Noncompetes From 'The Office'

    Author Photo

    Troutman Pepper’s Tracey Diamond, Evan Gibbs, Constance Brewster and Jim Earle compare scenarios from “The Office” to the complex world of noncompetes and associated tax issues, as employers are becoming increasingly hesitant to look to noncompete provisions amid a potential federal ban.

  • 3 Compliance Reminders For Calif. Employers In 2024

    Author Photo

    As we enter into the new year, several recent updates to California employment law — including minimum wage and sick leave requirements — necessitate immediate compliance actions for employers, says Daniel Pyne at Hopkins & Carley.

  • Compliance Refresher Amid DOL Child Labor Crackdown

    Author Photo

    In light of the Labor Department’s recent announcement of new penalty assessment procedures for child labor law violations, Erica MacDonald and Sylvia Bokyung St. Clair at Faegre Drinker discuss what employers should know about the department’s continued focus on this issue and how to bolster compliance efforts.

  • Top 10 Employer Resolutions For 2024

    Author Photo

    From technological leaps to sea changes in labor policy to literal sea changes, 2024 provides opportunities for employers to face big-picture questions that will shape their business for years to come, say Allegra Lawrence-Hardy and Lisa Haldar at Lawrence & Bundy.

  • Top 10 Whistleblowing And Retaliation Events Of 2023

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and federal and state courts made 2023 another groundbreaking year for whistleblower litigation and retaliation developments, including the SEC’s massive whistleblower awards, which are likely to continue into 2024 and further incentivize individuals to submit tips, say attorneys at Proskauer.

  • Navigating Issues Around NY Freelancer Pay Protection Bill

    Author Photo

    New York’s recently signed Freelance Isn’t Free Act was designed to protect freelance workers, but leaves business to navigate challenges such as unclear coverage, vague contract terms and potentially crushing penalties, says Richard Reibstein at Locke Lord.

  • The Key To Defending Multistate Collective FLSA Claims

    Author Photo

    Federal circuit courts are split on the reach of a court's jurisdiction over out-of-state employers in Fair Labor Standards Act collective actions, but until the U.S. Supreme Court agrees to review the question, multistate employers should be aware of a potential case-changing defense, say Matthew Disbrow and Michael Dauphinais at Honigman.

  • Ill. Temp Labor Rules: No Clear Road Map For Compliance

    Author Photo

    While the delay of a particularly thorny provision of the Illinois temporary worker law will provide some short-term relief, staffing agencies and their clients will still need to scramble to plan compliance with the myriad vague requirements imposed by the other amendments to the act, say Alexis Dominguez and Alissa Griffin at Neal Gerber.

  • Tips For Defeating Claims Of Willful FLSA Violations

    Author Photo

    As employers increasingly encounter wage and hour complaints under the Fair Labor Standards Act, more companies could face enhanced penalties for violations deemed willful, but defense counsel can use several discovery and trial strategies to instead demonstrate the employer’s commitment to compliance, say Michael Mueller and Evangeline Paschal at Hunton.

  • A Gov't Contractor's Guide To Davis-Bacon Prevailing Wages

    Excerpt from
    Author Photo

    In light of shifting federal infrastructure priorities and recent updates to U.S. Department of Labor regulations, employers should take the time to revisit the basics of prevailing wage requirements for federal contractors under the Davis-Bacon Act and similar laws, says Timothy Taylor at Holland & Knight.

  • Legal Profession Gender Parity Requires Equal Parental Leave

    Author Photo

    To truly foster equity in the legal profession and to promote attorney retention, workplaces need to better support all parents, regardless of gender — starting by offering equal and robust parental leave to both birthing and non-birthing parents, says Ali Spindler at Irwin Fritchie.