The Department of Labor’s (DOL) Wage and Hour Division has formally released a Final Rule defining “independent contractors” under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The regulation provides that “an individual is an...more
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to alter work lives in profound ways, employers are confronted with additional liability risks. The pandemic has created a wave of litigation that is unlikely to ebb until well after the...more
11/3/2020
/ ABC Test ,
Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) ,
Class Action ,
Collective Actions ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Due Diligence ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Furloughs ,
Hybrid Plan ,
Independent Contractors ,
Mitigating Factors ,
Remote Working ,
USERRA ,
Wage and Hour ,
WARN Act
The Connecticut Department of Labor (CTDOL) has issued new and revised regulations regarding the state’s tip credit law. The final regulations greatly clarified some aspects of the existing regulatory language that had led to...more
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has issued a new proposed regulation setting forth the proper standard for determining a worker’s status as an “independent contractor” under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)...more
“Incentive” or “service” awards to lead plaintiffs in Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23 (Rule 23) class actions are unlawful, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit has ruled in a suit brought under the Telephone...more
The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals ruled today that “incentive” or “service” awards to lead plaintiffs in Rule 23 class actions are unlawful. It is the first circuit court of appeals to expressly invalidate such awards as...more
The U.S. Supreme Court has been asked to fill a gaping hole in our Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) jurisprudence: What, precisely, is meant by “similarly situated,” as set forth in 29 U.S.C. 216(b)? The request comes in a...more
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently issued an opinion letter clarifying its authority to bring “pattern and practice” lawsuits under § 707(a) of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The...more
In May 2019, Connecticut joined a host of other states, including New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts, in passing a bill that, pursuant to a series of incremental increases over time, will raise the state’s minimum wage...more
Employers continue to grapple with an ongoing, unprecedented public health crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and its after-effects, which have profoundly disrupted the nation’s economy and U.S. workplaces. In this issue,...more
8/6/2020
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Best Practices ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Class Action ,
COBRA ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Retention ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
Furloughs ,
Layoffs ,
No-Poaching ,
OSHA ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Pregnancy Discrimination ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Remote Working ,
Telecommuting ,
Wage and Hour ,
WARN Act ,
Workplace Safety
Consistent with the terms of the arbitration agreement at issue, an hourly fuel tech and driver is entitled to arbitrate collective claims alleging that his employer violated the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the federal...more
Our quarterly report discusses new developments in class action litigation and offers strategic guidance and tactical tips on how to defend such claims. This issue covers using data analytics, including the following...more
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit has denied en banc review of a ruling that created a new framework for when employees who have entered into arbitration agreements receive collective action...more
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, in a case of first impression, has developed a required framework for a district court to evaluate when a plaintiff asks the Court to authorize notice to putative class...more
The Connecticut Legislature has passed legislation mandating that the state’s minimum wage regulations incorporate the “80/20” or “20%” tip credit rule. Governor Ned Lamont is expected to sign House Bill No. 7501, “An Act...more
12/23/2019
/ 20% Rule ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Food Service Workers ,
Minimum Wage ,
Restaurant Industry ,
State Labor Laws ,
Tip Credit ,
Tipped Employees ,
Tips ,
Wage and Hour
Our quarterly report takes a look back at the most significant class action developments over the last year, including litigation trends, court decisions, and legislative and regulatory changes that are certain to invite...more
The Department of Labor (DOL) published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on October 8, 2019, to eliminate the “20% Rule,” or “80/20 Rule,” under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
The 20% Rule, which first appeared...more
10/8/2019
/ Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Food Service Workers ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Minimum Wage ,
Restaurant Industry ,
Tip Credit ,
Tip-Pooling ,
Tipped Employees ,
Tips ,
Wage and Hour
The U.S. House of Representatives has passed the “Forced Arbitration Injustice Repeal Act” (FAIR Act), which aims to nullify mandatory, predispute arbitration agreements and class-action waivers for employment, consumer...more
Our quarterly report discusses new developments in class action litigation and offers strategic guidance and tactical tips on how to defend such claims. This issue covers the following topics:
•California Consumer Privacy...more
The U.S. Supreme Court term that ended in June 2019 included decisions on many topics important to workplace law, including class actions, arbitration, and administrative exhaustion and Title VII claims.
...more
7/10/2019
/ Age Discrimination ,
Arbitration ,
Auer Deference ,
Civil Rights Act ,
Class Arbitration ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Federal Arbitration Act ,
Fort Bend County Texas v Davis ,
Kisor v Wilkie ,
Lamps Plus Inc v Varela ,
Mount Lemmon Fire District v Guido ,
Parker Drilling Management Services Ltd v Newton ,
SCOTUS ,
Title VII ,
Wage and Hour
Notwithstanding the employers’ victory at the U.S. Supreme Court in Epic Systems Corp. v. Lewis, which made it clear that arbitration and class action waiver regimes do not violate the National Labor Relations Act, employers...more
Our quarterly report discusses new developments in class action litigation and offers strategic guidance and tactical tips on how to defend such claims. This issue covers the following topics:
- Who gets notice of a...more
6/26/2019
/ #MeToo ,
Background Checks ,
Class Action ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Equal Pay ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Lactation Accommodation ,
Medical Marijuana ,
NLRB ,
Pay Equity Laws ,
Pregnancy ,
Prevailing Wages ,
Wage and Hour ,
Website Accessibility ,
Whistleblowers
With Governor Ed Lamont pledging to sign it into law, Connecticut will become the latest state to pass a $15.00 per hour minimum wage bill joining, among other states, its Northeast neighbors New York, New Jersey and...more
In a decision important to class action practice, the U.S. Supreme Court has held that Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23(f), which establishes a 14-day deadline to seek permission to appeal an order granting or denying class...more
2/28/2019
/ Class Action ,
Class Certification ,
Collective Actions ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Decertification ,
Equitable Tolling ,
Federal Rules of Civil Procedure ,
Filing Deadlines ,
FRCP 23(f) ,
Interlocutory Appeals ,
Leave to Appeal ,
Motion for Reconsideration ,
Nutraceutical Corp v Lambert ,
SCOTUS
In a significant case of first impression, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit just held it to be in error for a district court to order notice be sent to employees as part of a certification who, by a...more