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Compensation & Benefits

DOL seeks $400 million for Oracle pay bias

12/12/2019
A federal court in California began hearing testimony Dec. 5 in a lawsuit that claims software giant Oracle underpaid current and former workers by more than $400 million while they worked on government contracts over the course of four years.

Workers’ comp model could curb opioid crisis

12/12/2019
Abuse of prescription opioids has been cited as one of the leading factors in a recent decline in the life expectancy of working-age Americans. Now a federal program seeks to limit addiction by controlling how much medication injured federal government employees are allowed to receive.

Demonstrate good faith on wage claims by seeking advice from your attorney

12/10/2019
If you don’t pay overtime as required by the Fair Labor Standards Act, you may end up owing both back pay plus a penalty equal to the amount you owed. But that’s not all; it could get worse.

Payments in cryptocurrency are subject to payroll taxes

12/05/2019
Cryptocurrencies don’t change the basic rule that how someone is paid is immaterial to determining whether the remuneration is taxable. The issue is how cryptocurrencies are valued.

Half of us have raided our retirement accounts

12/03/2019
Almost half of working Americans— 49%—have tapped their retirement savings to pay for things other than retirement, according to a new study by Bankrate.

McDonald’s pays $26 million for OT violations

12/03/2019
Sometimes, seemingly insignificant wage-and-hour practices can add up to a huge employer liability—especially if they are contested in a class-action lawsuit.

California clarifies rest-period pay and rounding rules

12/02/2019
On Oct. 9, 2019, the California Court of Appeal weighed in on two long-debated wage-and-hour issues in Ferra v. Loews Hollywood Hotel, LLC.

Newsom vetoes bill allowing babies at work

12/02/2019
The bill’s sponsor, Assemblyman Randy Voepel (R-San Diego County), said the aim was to allow workers to bond with their children and cut child care costs.

California law covers vacation pay disputes, not Fair Labor Standards Act

12/02/2019
The Fair Labor Standards Act sets the federal minimum-wage and overtime rules. Contrary to what many workers seem to believe, it does not guarantee additional wage-related benefits such as vacation or sick-time pay. Employees whose employers provide such benefits can’t sue under the FLSA, claiming they weren’t paid as promised.

Finite leave may be valid accommodation

12/02/2019
It’s a difficult problem: A new employee hasn’t yet earned any leave but needs to take time off for a disability-related reason. It’s a mistake to automatically terminate such an employee. Slow down.