The California Supreme Court ruled on March 12, 2020 that an individual plaintiff’s settlement of their claims against an employer for purported wage and hour violations does not deprive that plaintiff of standing as an authorized representative in a Private Attorney General’s Act (PAGA) action. PAGA deputizes an employee to file a lawsuit for purported … Continue Reading
Effective April 1, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA or Act) requires certain private sector employers with fewer than 500 employees and governmental employers of all sizes to provide their employees with emergency paid sick leave and emergency paid medical leave. More information about the FFCRA is available here. Given the current unknowns, many … Continue Reading
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), both enacted last week, provide significant new federal benefits to small businesses and their employees. Critically, both statutes target smaller employers. To that end, they each contain provisions that are only applicable to employers with fewer than … Continue Reading
As of March 28, 2020, there are over 103,000 reported cases of COVID-19 in the United States. In Dallas County, there are 439 confirmed cases—an increase of 72 cases from the prior day—and the number of cases is expected to rise. Given the current environment, employers should be cognizant of Dallas’ Earned Paid Sick Time … Continue Reading
Today the Department of Labor (DOL) updated the required poster that employers subject to the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (those with fewer than 500 employees) must place on their premises to satisfy their employees of the rights requirement under the Act. The update corrects the 10 weeks of paid sick leave under the Family … Continue Reading
Yesterday the Department of Labor (DOL) issued the required poster that employers subject the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (those with fewer than 500 employees) must place on their premises to satisfy the employees of rights requirement under the Act. Since a vast majority of employees are now working remotely, the DOL has advised that … Continue Reading
In response to the coronavirus outbreak, the U.S. Department of Labor recently announced new guidance outlining ways states can be more flexible in administering and expanding unemployment insurance (UI) programs in order to assist employees affected by COVID-19. Generally speaking, UI is a joint state–federal program that provides cash benefits to eligible workers. Although each … Continue Reading
Effective March 20, 2020, New Jersey implemented a new law, P.L. 2020, c.9, prohibiting employers from terminating or otherwise penalizing employees if they request or take time off from work because the employee has, or is likely to have, an infectious disease that may infect others at the worksite. The employee’s medical status must (1) … Continue Reading
While the New Jersey Legislature is considering legislation to address the employment consequences of COVID-19, the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (NJDOL) has published a Q&A regarding COVID-19 and how it interacts with New Jersey’s current employment laws. … Continue Reading
Employers are facing increasingly difficult business decisions as a result of COVID-19 and, in developing a plan of action, must take care to avoid the many risks for wage and hour litigation that may be asserted in the wake of those decisions, especially as they relate to the execution of temporary layoffs or furloughs. On … Continue Reading
The afternoon of March 18, 2020, the Senate passed H.R. 6201, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. Division C of the Bill details the Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act, and Division E provides additional protections under the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act. Both divisions apply to employers with fewer than 500 employees. At … Continue Reading
In addition to considerations under federal law, employers with employees in California should consider additional wage and hour issues that are unique to California. The Labor Commissioner’s Office has issued an FAQ to provide guidance on issues related to COVID-19. If an exempt salaried employee performs any work during the week, that employee should be … Continue Reading
The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) exempts employees with certain executive, administrative, or professional job duties from the requirement that they receive overtime pay for hours worked over 40 in a workweek. Determining whether one or more of these “white collar” exemptions apply to a particular employee requires a fact-intensive analysis of the employee’s job … Continue Reading
The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment’s Division of Labor Standards and Statistics (the Division) recently adopted Colorado Overtime and Minimum Pay Standards Order # 36 (COMPS), which will take effect on March 16, 2020.[1] COMPS will replace the Colorado Minimum Wage Order, which had largely remained substantively unchanged for two decades. With the adoption of … Continue Reading
In 2017, the City of Philadelphia enacted the Wage Equity Ordinance to address the pay gap between men and women and between different races and ethnicities. The Ordinance contains two provisions: the “Inquiry Provision,” which prohibits employers from asking about a prospective employee’s wage history; and the “Reliance Provision,” which prohibits an employer from relying … Continue Reading
With the 2020 presidential primaries underway, now is the time for employers to review their voting leave policies to ensure that supervisors and human resources departments understand applicable law. In addition to avoiding legal liability, compliance with voting-related laws helps employers maintain workplace harmony during a potentially contentious period. Currently, 30 states[1] (and Puerto Rico) … Continue Reading
The start of 2020 has already proven to be a busy year for employers in New Jersey. In addition to becoming the first state in the nation to mandate severance payments for mass layoffs, New Jersey has enacted some sweeping changes to its independent contractor laws. Governor Phil Murphy recently signed five bills aimed at … Continue Reading
Governor Phil Murphy signed legislation yesterday, January 21, 2020, amending New Jersey’s mini-WARN law, the Millville Dallas Airmotive Plant Job Loss Notification Act (the “Act”). Most notable among the changes is the requirement that companies with 100 or more employees (now including part-time workers) pay severance to employees impacted by a mass layoff. A “mass … Continue Reading
On January 12, 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued its final rule updating and revising its interpretation of joint employer status under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The new rule simplifies the FLSA joint employer analysis with a four-factor test for determining whether workers are jointly employed by associated businesses or persons. … Continue Reading
New York state rang in 2020 with a sweeping change to its minimum wage and tip credit rules that is expected to impact roughly 70,000 workers. On December 31, 2019, the New York State Department of Labor (the NYSDOL) recommended to Governor Andrew Cuomo that the state eliminate the tip credit for all miscellaneous industry … Continue Reading
For employers in the Garden State, 2019 brought a barrage of legal changes and new requirements. As 2019 comes to a close, we recap some of the most significant changes to the employment landscape in New Jersey. Minimum wage In July 2019, the New Jersey minimum wage increased to $10 per hour. This number will … Continue Reading
The City of Pittsburgh has provided much needed clarity regarding several lingering questions concerning the Paid Sick Days Act (the Act), which requires all private employers of full- or part-time employees within the City of Pittsburgh to provide paid sick leave benefits. In July 2019, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court upheld the Act following a nearly four-year … Continue Reading
On December 16, 2019, in Valley Hospital Medical Center, Inc. d/b/a Valley Hospital Medical Center (368 NLRB No. 139 (2019)), the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) overturned its 2015 decision in Lincoln Lutheran of Racine (362 NLRB 1655 (2015)), restoring the Board’s 50+ year precedent established under Bethlehem Steel (136 NLRB 1500 (1962), that there … Continue Reading
On December 16, 2019, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) published its first significant revision since 1968 to its interpretation of the calculation of the “regular rate” under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).[1] The regulations address whether certain fringe benefits must be included in calculating an employee’s regular rate for overtime purposes. With the … Continue Reading
