Over the past six months, Congress has made two notable attempts to amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (the “FLSA”). In July, U.S. Representative Elise Stefanik (R-NY) introduced The Modern Worker Empowerment Act...more
12/20/2019
/ Common Law Claims ,
Employee Definition ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Gig Economy ,
Independent Contractors ,
Labor Reform ,
Labor Regulations ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Misclassification ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Rest and Meal Break ,
Strict Compliance ,
Wage and Hour
On December 6, 2019, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals held that judicial approval is not required for offers of judgment to settle Fair Labor and Standards Act (“FLSA”) claims made pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil...more
It seems as though there is a minefield that employers must navigate to ensure that they fulfill their wage and hour obligations to their employees. Employers must somehow comply with overlapping and seemingly contradictory...more
Upsetting what many considered settled precedent, a California Court of Appeal has held that a mandatory service charge may qualify as a “gratuity” under California Labor Code Section 351 that must be distributed to the...more
11/13/2019
/ Appeals ,
Breach of Implied Contract ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Distribution Rules ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
Food Service Workers ,
Labor Code ,
Labor Regulations ,
Putative Class Actions ,
Service Charges ,
Statutory Interpretation ,
Statutory Violations ,
Tips ,
Unjust Enrichment ,
Wage and Hour
On August 26, 2019, we wrote of the plan by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (“WHD”) to update the Fair Labor Standard Act (“FLSA”) regulations on calculating overtime pay for salaried non-exempt workers...more
11/8/2019
/ Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Fluctuating Workweek ,
Labor Regulations ,
Non-Exempt Employees ,
Proposed Rules ,
Public Comment ,
Rate of Pay ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Salaried Employees ,
Wage and Hour ,
Work Schedules
Rules relating to tip credit and pooling have resulted in significant debate among legislators, regulators, and the courts, leading to confusion, further litigation, and, in many cases, substantial liability or settlements...more
10/9/2019
/ Comment Period ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Food Service Workers ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Job Duties ,
Labor Regulations ,
Minimum Wage ,
New Guidance ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Regulatory Standards ,
Restaurant Industry ,
Tip Credit ,
Tip-Pooling ,
Tipped Employees ,
Tips ,
Wage and Hour
On September 24, 2019, the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) issued its highly anticipated final rule regarding amendments to the overtime exemption criteria for the administrative, executive, and professional (“EAP”)...more
10/1/2019
/ Corporate Counsel ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
EAP ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Final Rules ,
Minimum Salary ,
New Rules ,
Over-Time ,
State and Local Government ,
Wage and Hour ,
White-Collar Exemptions
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (“WHD”) recently issued an opinion letter regarding the designation of FMLA leave in the context of employees covered by collective bargaining agreements (“CBA”) with a...more
What is considered compensable travel time pursuant to the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”) is not always clear or intuitive to employers, even for those who usually have a good handle on wage and hour laws. This blog post...more
On September 10, 2019, the Appellate Division of the New York Supreme Court for the First Department ruled in Vega v. CM & Associates Construction Management, LLC that “manual workers” who receive full pay but are paid “late”...more
9/30/2019
/ Cause of Action Accrual ,
Civil Monetary Penalty ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Failure To Pay ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Late Payments ,
Liquidated Damages ,
Minimum Wage ,
Non-Exempt Employees ,
Pleading Standards ,
Private Right of Action ,
Railroads ,
State Labor Departments ,
State Labor Laws ,
Underpayment ,
Unpaid Wages ,
Wage and Hour
Hospitality remains at the forefront of demanding industries where employers must be ever vigilant in their efforts to ensure full compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws and regulations. We highlight below...more
5/15/2019
/ Anti-Harassment Policies ,
Compliance ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Exempt-Employees ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Internships ,
Joint Employers ,
New Rules ,
NLRB ,
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) ,
Primary Beneficiary Test ,
Wage and Hour ,
White-Collar Exemptions
On December 12, 2018, the New York State Department of Labor (“NYSDOL” or “Department”) published their long-awaited revised proposed regulations, which would impose call-in pay penalties designed to curtail several...more
On December 7, 2018, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo signed into law an amendment to New York Labor Law (“NYLL”) Section 193 (“NY Wage Deduction Law”) extending the NY Wage Deduction Law, which had expired on November 6, 2018, until...more
Effective December 31, 2018, New York State’s salary basis threshold for exempt executive and administrative employees will increase again, as a part of amendments to the minimum wage orders put in place in 2016. Employers...more
Arguably, the very first workplace regulation, dating back thousands of years, was one involving wage and hour issues—the mandatory day of rest. While much has changed over the great many years since then, the centrality of...more
10/2/2018
/ Arbitration Agreements ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Epic Systems Corp v Lewis ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Independent Contractors ,
Navarro v Encino Motorcars ,
Opinion Letter ,
Tipped Employees ,
Unpaid Overtime ,
Wage and Hour
The first quarter of 2018 has already stirred up an array of legal matters that employers in the hospitality industry should be conscious of, both in their day-to-day operations and long-term planning. In February alone, the...more
3/30/2018
/ #MeToo ,
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Change of Ownership ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Disability Access Claims ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Federal Pilot Programs ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Restaurant Industry ,
Sex Discrimination ,
Sexual Harassment ,
Title VII ,
Wage and Hour
In a move allowing increased flexibility for employers and greater opportunity for unpaid interns to gain valuable industry experience, the United States Department of Labor (“DOL”) recently issued Field Assistance Bulletin...more
On November 22, 2017, the New York State Department of Labor (“NYSDOL”) published proposed call-in pay regulations (“Proposed Regulations”) in the New York State Register. The Proposed Regulations are subject to a 45-day...more
A year ago, employers across the country prepared for the implementation of a new overtime rule that would dramatically increase the salary threshold for white-collar exemptions, on the understanding that the new rule would...more
9/29/2017
/ Arbitration ,
Barack Obama ,
Class Action Arbitration Waivers ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Definition ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Independent Contractors ,
Joint Employers ,
Misclassification ,
Murphy Oil v NLRB ,
Popular ,
Tip Credit ,
Tip-Pooling ,
Trump Administration ,
Unpaid Overtime ,
Wage and Hour ,
White-Collar Exemptions
Legal compliance is a challenging endeavor, especially in the hospitality industry, where owner/operators must focus on meeting their business objectives, staying competitive, and growing in their respective markets. In...more
3/30/2017
/ Asset Purchaser ,
Data Breach ,
Defense Strategies ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Misclassification ,
NLRB ,
Restaurant Industry ,
Retail Workers Bill of Rights ,
Successors ,
Unions ,
Wage and Hour
On December 7, 2016, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit resolved a split among district courts within the circuit regarding whether liquidated damages may be awarded under both the Fair Labor Standards Act...more
The New York State Department of Labor (“NYSDOL”) has adopted its previously proposed amendments to the state’s minimum wage orders to increase the salary basis threshold for executive and administrative employees...more
A major transition in government is well underway. As we look back over the past 12 months, we are reminded of employment, labor, and workforce management issues that remain top of mind to all employers. In this Take 5, the...more
12/15/2016
/ Defend Trade Secrets Act (DTSA) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Gender Discrimination ,
Joint Employers ,
NLRB ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Paid Leave ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Sick Leave ,
Transgender ,
Trump Administration ,
Wage and Hour ,
White-Collar Exemptions
On October 19, 2016, the New York State Department of Labor (“NYSDOL”) announced proposed amendments to the state’s minimum wage orders (“Proposed Amendments”) to increase the salary basis threshold for executive and...more
It is no secret that the wage and hour requirements found in the myriad of federal, state, and local laws and regulations present unique challenges to employers across the country. Those challenges are further complicated by...more