The Southern District of New York (SDNY) recently announced a new pilot mediation program for cases filed under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Effective October 3, 2016, any federal wage and hour cases that are assigned to Judges Abrams, Bricetti, Carter, Daniels, Ramos, Sebel, and Woods, will be ordered directly to mediation. The mediation will take place before the initial scheduling conference, and must occur within 60 days of the order to mediate. This automatic referral to mediation for FLSA cases is similar to the program the SDNY has had in place since 2011 for all employment discrimination cases.

In light of the upcoming December 1, 2016, deadline to implement the Department of Labor’s new overtime pay requirements for white collar workers, discussed here, employers should expect an increase in wage and hour litigation. Early mediation is often an excellent tool for expedient case resolution and management.
Continue Reading New York Federal Court Pilots Mandatory Mediation Program for FLSA Cases