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Wages & Hours

Gender pay gap is 77%

04/24/2014
On average, working women in America earn 77 cents for every dollar men earn. Wage inequality varies greatly by state, according to the American Association of University Women.

Any limits on time between shifts?

04/23/2014
Q. We need to schedule an employee for a shift from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. in order to close our store and begin a shift the next morning at 8 a.m. to open the store. Does California law require a minimum amount of time, such as 12 hours, in between scheduled shifts?

Is there a reason not to limit smoking breaks?

04/23/2014
Q. Two of our employees go outside to smoke almost every hour for about 10 minutes. Our other employees are starting to complain. Do we have to allow these 10-minute rest periods every hour?

San Diego newspaper delivery drivers awarded $5M

04/23/2014
Workers who delivered the San Diego Union-Tribune will split a $5 million judgment against the paper’s former owner. A state judge ruled that about 1,200 carriers who worked for the paper from 2005 to 2007 were employees, not independent contractors.

Papa John’s HQ pays up after franchisee stiffs workers

04/23/2014
The Papa John’s pizza chain has come through for employees left in the lurch when a franchisee in Sacra­­mento abruptly closed eight stores.

Is a salary only for full-timers?

04/18/2014
Q. Can part-time employees be salaried?

Back ban on off-the-clock work with action

04/16/2014
Don’t assume that merely having a written policy that prohibits working off the clock will insulate you from liability. You must do more.

Ban unwritten rules forcing off-the-clock work

04/15/2014

Most employers think that if they just tell employees not to work more hours than their regular schedules call for, that’s the end of it. They put together a policy prohibiting off-the-clock work and figure, “Hey, problem solved.” But that may not be the case.

Minimum wage occupation you’d rather not know about

04/15/2014
Starting pay for pilots at some small regional airlines is as little as $15,000 a year, according to a U.S. Government Accountability Office report. That’s $80 less per year than a full-time, minimum-wage fast-food worker makes.

Wage-and-hour 101

04/14/2014
Properly paying employees is one of the most basic employer responsibilities, yet wage-and-hour cases continue to flood the legal system. It’s critical to understand the laws that govern when workers must be paid.