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Wages & Hours

Should we allow employees to use DOL’s timekeeping app for smartphones?

01/09/2013

Q. We have heard that the U.S. Department of Labor has issued a timekeeping app that allows employees to track their time on smartphones. Should we permit employees to use this in our workplace?

Richardson Doubletree Hotel settles wage-and-hour suit

01/09/2013
The Doubletree Hotel in Richardson has agreed to pay 112 employees $102,592 to settle charges it violated the Fair Labor Standards Act.

DOL says ‘bah, humbug’ to Christmas lights installer

01/09/2013

Some may see this as part of the Obama administration’s alleged “war on Christmas.” In reality it was a simple enforcement action. The DOL recently played the Grinch by filing a lawsuit against a Dallas company that installs and removes Christmas lights.

Undocumented worker claims retaliation? No back pay

01/09/2013
An undocumented worker who is fired after claiming he isn’t being paid minimum wage can’t collect back pay after his discharge. That’s because illegal immigrants shouldn’t be working anyway.

First Republic settles FLSA suit for more than $1 million

01/09/2013
San Francisco-based First Republic Bank has agreed to pay $1,009,644 in overtime back wages for 392 First Republic Bank employees in New York, California, Connecticut, Mas­­sa­­chu­­setts and Oregon.

Do we have to pay for unapproved overtime?

12/18/2012

Q. We have a policy requiring employees to get written permission before they are allowed to work any overtime. However, I have one employee who comes in early and stays late without approval. Must I pay him overtime?

Must after-hours meetings be paid?

12/18/2012

Q. I own a small restaurant. Do I need to pay employees for staff meetings held in the evenings, which are not during my employees’ regular hours of work?

Pittsburgh café to serve up back pay to employees

12/18/2012
The Point Brugge Café, in Pitts­­burgh’s East End, must pay $37,719 to 39 workers that the U.S. Depart­­ment of Labor says were stiffed by an illegal tip-pooling system.

DOL: Horsham steakhouse gauchos got gouged

12/18/2012
The parent company of na’Brasa Brazilian Steakhouse in Horsham will pay $110,369 to 42 workers following a DOL investigation that concluded the restaurant misclassified servers in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Minimum wage: Steady nationally, rising in 7 states

12/13/2012
The federal minimum wage will remain at $7.25 per hour in 2013, but the minimum wage will rise in at least seven states on Jan. 1.