There’s been a lot of buzz about tipped wages as Election Day approaches – and hospitality employers will want to track key proposals that may have a huge impact on pay practices. Former President Trump and Vice President...more
9/3/2024
/ Ballot Measures ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Income Taxes ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Minimum Wage ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Restaurant Industry ,
Service Charges ,
State Labor Laws ,
Tax Credits ,
Tip Credit ,
Tip-Pooling ,
Tipped Employees ,
Tips ,
Wage and Hour
A federal appeals court just delivered some good news to hospitality employers by blocking the Department of Labor’s infamous 80/20/30 rule, providing immediate relief to employers around the country by vacating the...more
8/26/2024
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Appeals ,
Arbitrary and Capricious ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Final Rules ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Minimum Wage ,
Tip Credit ,
Tipped Employees ,
Tips ,
Wage & Hour Division (WHD) ,
Wage and Hour
Many restaurants utilize tip pools to encourage teamwork, consistency, and customer-focused service – but you may be confused about who can and can’t participate in the pool. You feel confident that your servers and...more
5/17/2024
/ Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Minimum Wage ,
Restaurant Industry ,
Tip Credit ,
Tip-Pooling ,
Tipped Employees ,
Tips ,
Wage and Hour
Hotel staff often include a mix of tipped and non-tipped jobs, but following wage and hour rules isn’t always easy, particularly if employees perform a variety of tasks. Some workers — such as servers and bartenders — may...more
9/13/2023
/ Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
Minimum Wage ,
Tip Credit ,
Tip-Pooling ,
Tipped Employees ,
Tips ,
Wage & Hour Division (WHD) ,
Wage and Hour
A federal court just refused to block the U.S. Department of Labor’s infamous 80/20 rule, which applies to employers that take the tip credit toward their minimum wage obligation under federal wage and hour law – which means...more
More than a year after the US Department of Labor announced the return of the time-keeping nightmare that is the 80/20 rule with new tweaks that encourage even more litigation, the agency just released new guidance that...more
The U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) just released a Wage and Hour Opinion Letter yesterday addressing the fluctuating workweek, reiterating its position that an employee’s work hours do not need to fluctuate above and below...more
The U.S. Department of Labor’s final regulations addressing the FLSA’s fluctuating workweek (FWW) method reminded us that (1) legal principles control and (2) illustrative examples merely demonstrate application. The agency...more
The U.S Department of Labor’s final regulations addressing the Fluctuating Workweek (FWW) method of payment finally, explicitly confirm that you can pay an employee via the FWW method and still pay a bonus, commission, etc....more
The U.S. Department of Labor just finalized its rule that attempts to limit the scope of joint employment liability for wage and hour matters. Although much remains to be seen, this rule may usher in a new era, and could lead...more
1/14/2020
/ Corporate Counsel ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Final Rules ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Joint Employers ,
Labor Regulations ,
Minimum Wage ,
New Rules ,
Wage and Hour ,
Work Schedules
On February 15, the U.S. Department of Labor struck another nail into the coffin of the infamous “20% Rule,” the agency’s prior enforcement position which purported to limit an employer’s ability to take the federal Fair...more
2/19/2019
/ Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Field Operations Manual ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Job Duties ,
Minimum Wage ,
Restaurant Industry ,
Tip Credit ,
Tipped Employees ,
Tips ,
Wage and Hour
We are almost half way through 2018, and this year has been filled with fast and furious changes at USDOL. Proposed tip credit changes (Check, including a reaction from Congress and more tip credit changes on the horizon)....more
6/21/2018
/ Appeals ,
Automotive Industry ,
Car Dealerships ,
Congressional Intent ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Exempt-Employees ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Legislative History ,
Minimum Wage ,
Navarro v Encino Motorcars ,
Over-Time ,
Payroll Audit Independent Determination program (PAID) ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Reversal ,
Salespersons ,
SCOTUS ,
Service Advisors ,
Standard of Living ,
Statutory Construction Test ,
Tip Credit ,
Tip-Pooling ,
Tipped Employees ,
Tips ,
Wage and Hour
We have previously written about the U.S. Department of Labor's position adopted in 2011 saying that an employer may not retain any of an employee's tips even if management:
• Takes no tip-credit under the federal Fair...more
12/6/2017
/ Comment Period ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Minimum Wage ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Public Comment ,
Tip Credit ,
Tip-Pooling ,
Tipped Employees ,
Tips ,
Wage and Hour
Legal issues surrounding tip credits have been in the spotlight throughout much of 2017, from significant court decisions to announcements by the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL). But rather than setting forth clear rules,...more
12/4/2017
/ Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Minimum Wage ,
Notice Requirements ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Tip Credit ,
Tip-Pooling ,
Tipped Employees ,
Tips ,
Wage and Hour
A federal judge in Texas struck down the controversial Obama-era change to the federal Fair Labor Standards Act that was intended to substantially raise the minimum salary threshold required for employees to qualify for the...more
9/7/2017
/ Abeyance ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Lack of Authority ,
Minimum Salary ,
Minimum Wage ,
Motion To Intervene ,
Obama Administration ,
Over-Time ,
Summary Judgment ,
Trump Administration ,
Wage and Hour ,
White-Collar Exemptions
Some courts have read a safeguard into federal wage and hour law that can protect employers from liability for working-off-the-clock claims, believing you should not be responsible for unpaid overtime or minimum wage if you...more