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Wages & Hours

Will photocopy for … what?

11/13/2013
Paid internships pay off. Unpaid internships, not so much. Here’s how internship experience affects starting salaries:

Texas AG lawyer blows whistle on hostile work environment

10/31/2013
An attorney in Texas Attorney Gen­­eral Greg Abbott’s office has filed a whistle-blower complaint claiming he has been forced to work in a hostile environment. Among his allegations: rampant discrimination, misuse of taxpayer dollars and falsification of hourly time sheets.

Harris Health System pays out $4M for back OT

10/31/2013
Harris Health System in Houston will pay out more than $4 million in back pay after it failed to include incentive pay when calculating overtime for thousands of hourly staff members.

Can work continue during paid lunch break?

10/29/2013
Q. Our hourly employees have a paid 30-minute lunch break. Sometimes we ask them to do some work during that time. Is this OK since we pay them or are we required to provide them with a complete break?

Two new California laws will cost employers in two ways

10/29/2013
California has two new laws affecting employers in the state. The first, signed into law in Au­­gust, applies to employers that prevail in wage-related lawsuits. It limits their ability to obtain attorneys’ fee awards. The second, signed in September, raises California’s minimum wage to $10 per hour by January 2016.

9th Circuit upholds CDIR’s apprenticeship crackdown

10/29/2013
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that the California Department of Industrial Relations (CDIR) did not violate U.S. Department of Labor apprenticeship rules when it ordered three contractors to remove from public works projects apprentices who were enrolled in a federally run program.

Assigning temporary additional duties? Beware salary creep that could violate EPA

10/29/2013
As employers continue to try doing more with less, employees sometimes find themselves handling additional duties and responsibilities. That can cause real problems if it results in female employees doing extra work, and they wind up being paid less than male co-workers.

Riverside detailer missed a spot in its pay records

10/29/2013
Interior Magic of California, a car detailing service in Riverside County, will have to pay $292,000 in back wages and liquidated damages to 205 current and former employees, plus $34,408 in civil penalties to polish its image following a U.S. Department of Labor investigation.

Snapshot: How many workers live paycheck to paycheck?

10/29/2013
36% of workers report that they always or usually live paycheck to paycheck, a recession-era low, down from its peak of 46% in 2008.

Victoria’s Secret employees claim online campaign victory

10/24/2013
Employees at the Manhattan flagship store of Victoria’s Secret received raises of between $1 and $2 per hour recently, and say it’s all because of a petition started on the advocacy website www.change.org.