Over these last years, there have been a number of lawsuits by domestic employees against their employers and I have defended some of those. They present a unique kind of case as these domestic servants are usually on very...more
Last week, we were reminded of the impact of the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division enforcement activities. The agency announced that National Freight, Inc. will pay more than $1,000,000 in back wages to 359 workers...more
In a case with far reaching implications, Cowell v. Utopia Home Care, Inc., 2:14-cv-00736-LDW-SIL, Magistrate Judge Steven Locke of the Eastern District of New York (covering Brooklyn, Queens and Long island) ruled that...more
Claims by home care workers for unpaid overtime have risen steadily since the U.S. Department of Labor, in 2015, eliminated the federal overtime exemptions that allowed agency employers essentially to pay no overtime wage...more
As 2014 wound to a close, the United States District Court for the District of Columbia issued a significant decision impacting third-party agencies that provide in-home care to the elderly and ailing. On December 22, 2014,...more
In an order dated October 20, 2015, pursuant to the D.C. Circuit’s mandate issued on October 13, 2015, U.S. District Court Judge Richard Leon entered summary judgment in favor of the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) in Home...more
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit recently reinstated regulations from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), extending federal minimum wage and overtime requirements to home health workers employed by third-party...more
The U.S. Labor Department has now announced that, beginning on November 12, it will start enforcing its revised regulations governing the Fair Labor Standard Act's Section 13(a)(15) "companionship" exemption and Section...more
Agencies and other third-party employers of live-in household employees and home companionship providers, take note: the long-delayed regulations reclassifying many of these workers as non-exempt employees entitled to minimum...more
Last week, a Manhattan Supreme Court Justice denied a motion to dismiss a class action lawsuit against Chinese–American Planning Council Home Attendant Program, Inc., brought for unpaid wages, overtime, and failing to pay...more
As we recently reported, the U.S. Department of Labor's changes in its regulations governing the Fair Labor Standard Act's Section 13(a)(15) "companionship" exemption and Section 13(b)(21) overtime exemption for "live-in...more
On August 21, 2015, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (DC Circuit) reinstated Department of Labor (DOL) regulations that require home care agencies and other third-party employers of...more
Earlier this year, we brought news that the DOL had revised its regulations applicable to home health care workers. Those regulations, which related to domestic workers who provide “companionship services,” narrowed...more
As we reported earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Labor has been fighting nearly 14 months of legal challenges in connection with its attempt to modify the FLSA’s companionship exemption. On Friday, the U.S. Circuit...more
The Oregon Legislature enacted several laws in 2015 that will significantly affect your workplace. The following laws go into effect Jan. 1, 2016: Paid Sick Leave - As expected, Oregon has enacted a mandatory paid sick leave...more
Under the U.S. Department of Labor's Final Rule on Domestic Service, ("DOL Final Rule") effective January 1, 2015, home care agencies can no longer claim the companionship exemption. As a result, managed care companies may be...more
Every new year brings employment law changes for California’s employers and, while the Affordable Care Act has taken the spotlight for 2014, a vast array of employment laws deserve special attention from California employers...more