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Wages & Hours

What’s work for unemployment comp purposes?

07/09/2015

Workers who are collecting unemployment compensation benefits and “perform services” for 32 hours or more per week aren’t eligible to receive benefits for that week. If they work for fewer than 32 hours, they do receive benefits. But what about time spent on-call? Do those hours count toward the threshold? A recent court decision says they don’t.

Keep backup data on employees’ hours worked

07/01/2015

Make sure you back up timecard information. Old-fashioned stamped cards can get lost or damaged. If that happens and an employee alleges she wasn’t paid for all work, the court may take her word—not yours—for how many hours she put in.

Agenda tips DOL’s hand on after-hours technology and pay

06/30/2015
Tucked inside the Obama administration’s Semiannual Regulatory Agenda this spring was a Department of Labor initiative worth watching: A Wage and Hour Division effort to study how employees’ after-hours use of technology might affect wages and overtime pay.

Small amount on the table? Know when to fold ’em

05/21/2015
When a Domino’s Pizza worker sued for wage violations, it quickly became clear that a few thousand dollars was the most he was owed. His attorney wanted to settle, but Domino’s insisted on a three-day trial …

Is it legal to make employees pay us back when their cash drawers come up short?

05/20/2015
Q. One of our employees recently had a shortage in his register at the end of her shift. Are we permitted to deduct the shortage from his wages? If not, is there anything we can do?

Minneapolis mayor Hodges calls for more worker-friendly policies

05/18/2015
In her second State of the City address, Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges called for more regular work schedules, more overtime pay and greater access to paid sick days.

New white-collar OT rules could be out soon

05/12/2015
The long-awaited rewrite of federal rules governing overtime pay for salaried executive, administrative and professional employees inched closer to enactment on May 5, when the U.S. Department of Labor forwarded a proposed final version to the Office of Management and Budget, which assesses the fiscal impact of government initiatives.

New white-collar OT rules inch closer to release

05/07/2015
The long-awaited rewrite of federal rules governing overtime pay for salaried executive, administrative and professional employees took one step closer to becoming reality on May 5.

Merrill Lynch trainee OT suit could become class action

05/06/2015
Two participants in Merrill Lynch’s management development program are suing the firm, alleging they were not paid for overtime they worked during the intensive training period.

Is it ever OK for a boss to change a time sheet?

04/29/2015
Q. Is it illegal for managers to change exempt or nonexempt employees’ time sheets if they neglect to indicate that they took a day off?