The Department of Labor (DOL) has issued a new opinion letter addressing when walking time during a meal period affects compensability under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The issue: Whether a 60-minute unpaid lunch, with six to 14 minutes…
Employment Law
Oregon's companionship services exemption is narrowing for home care agencies under Senate Bill 1518. SB 1518 freezes Oregon's definition of companionship services to the federal definition in effect Jan. 1, 2016, so future federal changes won't automatically expand the state's…
Trader Joe’s has agreed to pay $12.47 million to settle a proposed class action lawsuit alleging violations of California’s wage and hour laws. According to the complaint, Trader Joe’s: Rounded time punches, resulting in employees being underpaid Excluded “Thank You”…
An urgent care facility in Georgia has agreed to pay $113,199 to resolve alleged violations of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). According to an investigation by the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Premier Health Consultants…
Federal and state laws tend to dominate compliance discussions, but local ordinances carry serious financial consequences, too. Case in point: The City of Seattle’s Office of Labor Standards (OLS) recently announced its second-largest enforcement action ever – a nearly $4.4…
A recent Seventh Circuit court ruling focuses on a key overtime calculation issue for payroll: Which premiums belong in the regular rate of pay? For a Wisconsin employer, certain pay differentials and incentive premiums had to be included before calculating…
Connecticut employers must include a wage or a good-faith wage range and a general description of benefits in public and internal job postings under Public Act 26-12, signed by Gov. Ned Lamont on May 11, 2026. The requirement takes effect…
Field-based roles raise unique FLSA compliance questions, including whether an employer must pay for work tasks performed before or during the commute to the first job site. A recent DOL opinion letter addressed the issue. The question came from a…
A federal jury in Oregon found that Nike discriminated against former employee Heather Hender by paying her less than male colleagues and delaying her promotions, in violation of federal and state laws. In 2018, Hender and three other female employees…
Hybrid schedules are now a standard part of many workplaces, but payroll teams are still sorting out when a commute during the workday belongs on the timesheet. The Department of Labor (DOL) recently addressed a recurring question: When a nonexempt…
Not every sign-on bonus belongs in the overtime calculation – and a recent federal case out of Virginia shows why. A fired employee filed a lawsuit against his former employer, claiming he was illegally terminated after complaining about a co-worker’s…
A D.C. hospitality business will pay more than $243,000 after an investigation found worker misclassification and other wage and hour violations affecting more than 270 workers. The case shows that compliance risk doesn't stop at the federal level – local…
