A White House report has extoled wage-rate increases by "state legislatures and governors; mayors, county executives and city councils; and business leaders" as supposedly being compelling reasons to raise the federal Fair...more
We continue to follow developments relating to President Obama's directive that the U.S. Labor Department "modernize and streamline" its regulations governing the federal Fair Labor Standards Act's Section 13(a)(1) executive,...more
After more than a year of litigation (the filing of which we reported at the time), former unpaid Gawker Media interns will be permitted to send notices to other unpaid or allegedly underpaid interns to inform those potential...more
A recent decision by the U.S. Court of Claims underscores important propositions under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act to the effect that:
- Failing to pay non-exempt employees the FLSA-required minimum-wage or...more
We wrote some time ago about a lower federal court's determination in Glatt v. Fox Searchlight Pictures that at least two unpaid interns were "employees" for federal Fair Labor Standards Act purposes.
...more
The best answer to our July 3, 2014 Quick Quiz is, "This is true under some circumstances." In declining percentage order, the responses were:
- "This is never true.": (60.7%)
- "This is true under some...more
Under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, may 17-year-old employees drive vehicles on public roads in performing work for their employers, provided that they do not drive...more
A Texas federal court has ordered the U.S. Labor Department to pay more than $560,000 in attorney's fees, paralegal fees, and travel expenses growing out of litigation under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act.
USDOL...more
The U.S. Labor Department has released its proposed regulations implementing Executive Order 13658, President Obama's directive to raise the minimum-wage rate for workers on federal contracts from $7.25 per hour to $10.10 per...more
6/13/2014
/ Barack Obama ,
Covered Entities ,
Davis-Bacon Act ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Executive Orders ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Minimum Wage ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Service Contract Act ,
Subcontractors ,
Wage and Hour
As we reported previously, in March President Obama directed the U.S. Labor Department to "modernize and streamline" its regulations governing the federal Fair Labor Standards Act's Section 13(a)(1) executive, administrative,...more
As we observed last October, there is reason to wonder whether the U.S. Labor Department has become more inclined than in the past to view criminal prosecution as being an appropriate course of action when it finds violations...more
A White House report promoting a substantial jump in the federal Fair Labor Standards Act's minimum wage perpetuates now-widely-disseminated propaganda about an alleged "tipped employee minimum wage" of $2.13 per...more
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has released a report entitled "Characteristics of Minimum Wage Workers, 2013" which claims that approximately 1.8 million hourly-paid workers made less than the federal Fair Labor...more
We have already reported that a group calling itself the "Fair Pay Campaign" aims to pressure colleges and universities not to facilitate unpaid internships or even post notices about them. This initiative appears to be...more
President Obama has instructed the U.S. Labor Department to revise the federal Fair Labor Standards Act's so-called "white collar" exemptions in a "Presidential Memorandum" released on March 13. This effort is intended (as...more
We have long warned that one should not simply assume that an internship associated with or sponsored by an educational institution falls outside of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act's requirements. Our caution includes...more
The White House Press Office reports that President Obama has now signed an Executive Order to raise the minimum-wage rate for workers on federal contracts, as he announced he would do in his recent State of the Union speech....more
The unpaid-interns ruckus continues to unfold, this time in a way that entangles President Obama.
As we many have observed, an unpaid White House intern might conclude that he or she is “engaged in the operations of...more
Considerable concern and confusion has arisen from President Obama's State of the Union announcement that he will raise the minimum wage for individuals working on federal contracts to $10.10 per hour. Until it is possible to...more
Today's U.S. Supreme Court decision in Sandifer v. United States Steel Corp. paves the way under collective bargaining agreements for the possibility of excluding time spent donning and doffing many kinds of personal...more
Recent headline items touch upon matters of continuing concern:
? The Employment Policies Institute has highlighted what it calls "Maximum Hypocrisy on the Minimum Wage" among 96% of the Senate and House sponsors of...more
As was anticipated in light of the intensified focus upon internships over three years ago, the next stage was a spate of high-profile lawsuits by unpaid or allegedly-underpaid interns under the federal Fair Labor Standards...more
"Wage-hour lawsuits are booming," trumpets one recent report after another, and this is certainly true. The risk of high-exposure wage claims against an employer is greater than ever.
...more
The U.S. Senate's Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions has released a report concluding that there are "widespread labor law violations among major government contractors." The publication, entitled "Acting...more
The answer to our December 11, 2013 Quick Quiz is, "No". In declining percentage order, the responses were:
- "No.": (72.5%)
- "It is not possible to answer without more facts.": (13.7%)
- " Yes,...more