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FLSA

New DOL rules could blacklist fed contractors

06/02/2015
Current and prospective federal contractors that violate employment laws could be barred from doing business with Uncle Sam if new proposed rules from the Department of Labor go through.

DOL touts efforts enforcing FLSA in Texas oil fields

05/29/2015
The U.S. Department of Labor claims a recent enforcement initiative in the oil fields of West Texas and Eastern New Mexico has resulted in workers recovering $1.3 million in lost wages. The DOL Wage and Hour Division oil and gas initiative began in late 2014.

Beware legal risks of raising employees’ titles in lieu of pay

05/29/2015
When budgets for raises are lean, it’s tempting to reward employees with a better title than a hefty pay increase. That’s risky.

Houston strip club owners appeal jury’s award to dancers

05/29/2015
The legal dance between Tiffany’s Cabaret in Houston and two former performers is not quite over. The club’s parent company has appealed a jury’s six-figure award to the exotic dancers.

9th Circuit decision: Car dealership service advisors are nonexempt employees

05/20/2015
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals had ruled that so-called automobile service advisors are nonexempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Must we pay for time spent preparing to work?

05/18/2015
Q. We have an employee who regularly comes into work a half-hour or more before her scheduled shift in order to get her work station ready and otherwise get herself set up for the day. This preparation time is important to the employee because she does not believe that she can meet the production requirements of her job without it. The employee has been told that she cannot start performing her actual job tasks until the start of her scheduled shift. Our new HR manager has advised that we must pay the employee for the time that she spends preparing for her shift, even though she had no approval to work during that time. Is that right?

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.

DOL: Beware turning employees into ‘owners’

05/11/2015
When it comes to circumventing the Fair Labor Standards Act, innovation may be born of hardship. The latest employer scheme to avoid paying overtime, workers’ comp premiums and payroll taxes comes out of Utah and Arizona, where several jointly owned construction firms have been requiring employees to become “member/owners” of the businesses.

Viacom to pay $7.21M to settle intern pay dispute

05/06/2015

Apparently, TV personality Stephen Colbert wasn’t kidding about mistreating Jay the intern. Colbert’s former employer, Viacom, has agreed to settle claims by current and former interns at its Comedy Central, MTV and Nickelodeon properties.

What HR needs to know about tracking employee time

05/06/2015
Supervisors and HR pros need to understand what they can and cannot do with time records. Problems can lead to legal disputes under the Fair Labor Standards Act.