Do an airline’s ramp workers qualify as “transportation workers” exempt from the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA)?
The U.S. Supreme Court has granted an airline’s petition for review to resolve this question. Southwest...more
The U.S. House of Representatives has passed the Build Back Better Act (BBBA) (H.R. 5376) by a vote of 220–213. Supported by the Biden Administration and congressional Democrats, the controversial bill heads to the Senate for...more
11/30/2021
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Child Care ,
Clean Energy ,
Employee Contributions ,
Energy Storage ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
Individual Retirement Account (IRA) ,
Joe Biden ,
NLRA ,
OSHA ,
Popular ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Retirement Plan ,
Roth IRA ,
Solar Energy ,
Tax Credits
The U.S. House of Representatives on November 19, 2021, passed the Build Back Better Act (H.R. 5376), ambitious climate protection/social spending legislation that now awaits deliberation in the Senate. Tucked inside the...more
The Fall 2021 edition of the Jackson Lewis Class Action Trends Report looks at the class action risks that arise as employers navigate return-to-work during this precarious stage of the COVID-19 pandemic. Employee symptom...more
10/5/2021
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Biometric Information ,
Class Action ,
Compensation ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Discrimination ,
Employee Privacy Rights ,
Employer Mandates ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
GINA ,
Masks ,
Misclassification ,
Non-Exempt Employees ,
Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) ,
Religious Exemption ,
Return-to-Work Agreements ,
Unpaid Overtime ,
Vaccinations ,
Wage and Hour ,
WARN Act
In our latest issue of the Class Action Trends Report, Jackson Lewis attorneys discuss how employers can undertake Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives without risking class action discrimination suits; wage and...more
5/13/2021
/ Business Expenses ,
Class Action ,
Compensation ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Diversity ,
Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I) ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Gender Discrimination ,
Non-Exempt Employees ,
Pay Equity Laws ,
Race Discrimination ,
Reimbursements ,
Remote Working ,
Rest and Meal Break ,
Return-to-Work Agreements ,
Statute of Limitations ,
Telecommuting ,
Vaccinations ,
Wage and Hour
In April 2020, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit held that paying an employee a set amount for each day he works (i.e. on a “day rate” basis) does not satisfy the “salary basis” component...more
Last year presented many challenges, and 2021 offers a fresh start. In this issue of the Class Actions Trends Report we review the most significant developments of 2020 and take a look forward to what a new year and a new...more
2/2/2021
/ 401k ,
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Arbitration ,
Biden Administration ,
Biometric Information Privacy Act ,
Business Interruption ,
Class Action ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Federal Arbitration Act ,
Fluctuating Workweek ,
Higher Education Act ,
Independent Contractors ,
Labor Code ,
Layoffs ,
Pregnancy Discrimination ,
Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) ,
Ridesharing ,
SCOTUS ,
Sexual Harassment ,
TCPA ,
Trucking Industry ,
Wage and Hour
On “how stringently, and how soon, district courts should enforce [Fair Labor Standards Act] Section 216(b)’s ‘similarly situated’ mandate” when considering motions for certification of collective actions, the U.S. Court of...more
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
“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
With specific, limited exceptions set forth in Section 207(e) of its regulations, the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires that all compensation provided to a non-exempt employee must be included when determining the...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
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) withdrew its interpretative rules setting forth the types of businesses either not qualifying, or only possibly qualifying, as “retail or service establishments” when determining whether a...more
Upon further reflection, a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has determined that paying an employee a set amount for each day that he works (i.e. on a “day rate” basis) does not satisfy the “salary...more
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
As enforcing arbitration agreements with transportation workers under the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) has become more difficult, employers should consider arbitration agreements with a potential alternative enforcement...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 Department of Labor (DOL) has issued its Final Rule revising the regulations governing the calculation of the “regular rate” of pay, used to calculate overtime, under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The Final Rule,...more
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