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Wages & Hours

You don’t have to force workers to take meal breaks

09/21/2012
You no doubt know that employers have to provide for meal breaks under California law. But how far do you have to go to force employees to actually take the break? It turns out, not very far.

Señor Fish on the hook for underpaying hourly wages

09/21/2012
Los Angeles-area restaurant chain Señor Fish has agreed to a settle a Fair Labor Standards Act lawsuit with the DOL. An investigation by the department’s Wage and Hour Division revealed the taquería business paid its employees “straight time” for all hours worked …

DOL docks federal funding to pay contractor’s back wages

09/10/2012
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division will deduct unpaid wages and benefits from future government payments to Lettire Construction Corp. to settle violations of the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts …

In Lower Manhattan, how about a slice of class action?

09/10/2012
A federal judge has certified a class-action lawsuit against Manhattan’s hip Adrianne’s Pizza Bar. Current and former workers allege they were not paid minimum wage, overtime and “spread-of-hours” premiums required for restaurant employees who work long split shifts.

Unauthorized overtime is your problem! Take steps to stop it–and punish rule-breakers

09/04/2012
According to the FLSA, even if you don’t know someone is working overtime, you can be sued if you underpay. The good news is you can crack down on unauthorized overtime by punishing an em­­ployee for failing to follow your clearly articulated no-unauthorized-overtime rule.

How to change pay scales without triggering age bias suits

08/24/2012
If you are contemplating changing your compensation structure to re­­flect today’s lean job market, do so carefully—especially if you suspect you may be overpaying some senior employees for the work they do.

How must we accommodate breastfeeding?

08/21/2012

Q. One of our employees is on maternity leave. What are our obligations to accommodate her need to breastfeed when she returns to work?

How much flexibility do we have to set up alternative workweek schedules?

08/21/2012

Q. Our company employs nurses that care for patients in their homes. We would like to begin running 12-hour shifts and set up an alternative workweek schedule. What are the rules for instituting an alternative workweek for our employees?

Home nursing agency settles federal wage dispute

08/21/2012
Extended Health Care Private Duty Nursing, a Los Angeles-area home nursing agency, has agreed to pay $654,082 to settle a Fair Labor Standards Act complaint that followed a federal probe into its pay practices.

Breaks for nursing mothers: Just for nonexempts?

08/20/2012

Q. We have an exempt employee who just returned after giving birth. She says she needs to express milk three times a day and we have to let her. I thought the federal law says breaks were just for hourly employees. Do we have to give her this time? She’s away from her desk for 20 to 30 minutes each time.