Wage & Hour

  • April 30, 2025

    Nurse Says 6th Circ. Should Look At Notice Ruling In Pay Suit

    A Tennessee federal court erred in turning down a nurse's bid to reach others in her suit accusing Acadia Healthcare of meal break violations and unpaid overtime because her discovery issues were not resolved, the nurse said, urging the Sixth Circuit to weigh in.

  • April 30, 2025

    Marine Reservist Says Retaliation Suit Should Go To Trial

    A U.S. Marine Corps reservist urged a Texas federal court to keep in play his lawsuit alleging a professional services company fired him after two months because he took time off to attend training, saying the firm's reasoning that he was let go for poor performance is bogus.

  • April 30, 2025

    Coal Mining Cos.' $15.2M Wage Deal Needs Revision

    A Kentucky federal judge declined to greenlight a $15.2 million settlement resolving miners' class and collective action against several mining companies over unpaid wages, saying the deal must be revised because the wage and hour landscape has changed over the past few years.

  • April 30, 2025

    Ex-PETA Worker Says 24/7 On-Call Policy Ducked Wages

    People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals implemented an illegal 24/7 on-call policy that cheated social media employees of wages and overtime, and terminated those who complained about it, a former employee said in a lawsuit in California state court.

  • April 30, 2025

    Unaccepted Offer Can't End Server's Tip Credit Suit

    A Texas federal court ruled that it still had jurisdiction over a server's proposed collective action accusing a Houston-area restaurant of violating tip credit requirements, saying the worker has not accepted a $1,000 offer to end her case.

  • April 30, 2025

    Muji, Uniqlo Accused Of Failing To Pay Workers On Time

    Japanese retailers Muji and Uniqlo illegally paid employees biweekly despite the New York Labor Law requiring that manual workers be paid at the end of each workweek, according to two proposed class and collective actions filed separately against the companies in federal court. 

  • April 30, 2025

    Michael Best Gains Higher Ed Leader In Austin From Littler

    Michael Best & Friedrich LLP has deepened its labor and employment practice group with a partner in Austin who also serves as co-chair of the firm's higher education industry team and came aboard from Littler Mendelson PC.

  • April 30, 2025

    Bipartisan House Members Pitch Expanded Paid Family Leave

    A bipartisan group of House lawmakers unveiled legislation Wednesday that they said would expand access to paid family leave by incentivizing states to establish their own programs and facilitating the exchange of information between state and federal officials.

  • April 30, 2025

    NYC Paid Record High Of $2B In Legal Claims In 2024

    New York City paid nearly $2 billion last year to settle legal claims, setting a record high for the payouts with a half-billion dollar increase over the previous year, according to new data released by the city's fiscal watchdog on Wednesday.

  • April 30, 2025

    Justices Say Reservists Get Extra Pay No Matter Wartime Role

    The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday that federally employed military reservists called to active duty during wartime or a national emergency are entitled to a top-up differential pay, regardless of their specific role.

  • April 29, 2025

    NY Contractor Hasn't Paid Caregivers In A Month, Suit Says

    A New York state contractor that helps administer a Medicaid program has forced thousands of caregivers to face a "dizzying array of technical problems" and caused many to not receive any pay over the past month, a proposed class and collective action filed in federal court said.

  • April 29, 2025

    Defunct Media Co.'s $4.5M WARN Act Deal Gets Initial OK

    Former digital media startup The Messenger will pay $4.5 million to 275 workers who claimed the company didn't respect the firing notice timeline federal law mandates, after a New York federal judge greenlighted the deal.

  • April 29, 2025

    Littler Brings Back Arbitration Pro In Calif.

    Labor and employment firm Littler Mendelson PC is expanding its California arbitration team, announcing Tuesday that it is welcoming back an employment attorney who left briefly to join Whitney Thompson & Jeffcoach LLP.

  • April 29, 2025

    Disability Care Center Cuts Deal To End Overnight Pay Suit

    An Arkansas disability care center will pay $130,000 to resolve a collective action accusing it of denying workers pay for overnight hours they spent caring for in-home patients, a filing in federal court said.

  • April 28, 2025

    Mich. Nurses Quit Claims Of Pay Withheld For Breaks Untaken

    Two registered nurses agreed to drop their claims of unpaid wages against the two locations of a Michigan healthcare system they had accused in federal court of requiring them to work through meal breaks without pay, ending the case Monday in federal court.

  • April 28, 2025

    Waldorf Astoria Spa Workers Want Wage Suit Kept Alive

    Spa workers told a Hawaii federal court they satisfactorily backed up their allegations that a Waldorf Astoria profited from not compensating them properly and that it retaliated against them after their suit was filed, urging the court to deny the company's bid to shake the suit.

  • April 28, 2025

    Teamsters Say UPS Fleeced Workers Through Pay Deductions

    The United Parcel Service deducted hundreds of dollars from unionized workers' April 3 paychecks without their consent, a Teamsters unit and four employees told a New York federal court. 

  • April 28, 2025

    Saltz Mongeluzzi Hit With 2nd Suit On Heels Of Wage Suit Win

    Days after a civil suit claiming Saltz Mongeluzzi & Bendesky PC violated fair labor standards ended with a jury verdict in favor of the firm, a former paralegal filed a complaint in Philadelphia federal court alleging she was subjected to harassment and discriminating comments up until her resignation.

  • April 28, 2025

    Reed Smith Lands Squire Patton Employment Ace In Atlanta

    Reed Smith LLP has added a Squire Patton Boggs LLP partner to its Atlanta office, strengthening its labor and employment practice after opening the office in January, the firm announced on Monday.

  • April 28, 2025

    Elevance Nurses Say Their Right To OT Is Beyond Dispute

    Health insurer Elevance can't justify its decision to deny nurses overtime wages using one of the exemptions under the Fair Labor Standards Act, a collective of workers told a North Carolina federal court, asking for a pretrial win in their suit.

  • April 25, 2025

    Harvard Can't Escape Ousted Ice Hockey Coach's Bias Suit

    A Massachusetts federal judge refused to nix a former Harvard University ice hockey coach's sex bias suit alleging she was paid less than her male colleagues, issuing an order Friday that agreed with a magistrate judge's report rejecting Harvard's argument that her claims were filed too late.  

  • April 25, 2025

    Defunct Media Co. To Pay $4.5M In NY WARN Act Case

    Former digital media startup The Messenger has agreed to pay $4.5 million to a class of 275 workers who claimed in New York federal court that the company didn't give them enough notice about its layoffs and shutdown, the parties said on Friday.

  • April 25, 2025

    Calif. Forecast: Workday AI Bias Suit Up For Class Cert.

    In the coming week, attorneys should watch for arguments regarding conditional collective certification in a discrimination suit against Workday Inc. Here's a look at that case and other labor and employment matters on deck in California.

  • April 25, 2025

    J&J Unit Sees Claims Trimmed In Engineer's Bias Suit

    A Johnson & Johnson-owned prosthetics company does not have to face claims that an engineer filed his lawsuit, alleging violations of the Family and Medical Leave Act, too late, a Massachusetts federal judge ruled Friday, but determined some of the allegations are timely and can proceed.

  • April 25, 2025

    NJ Firm Says Worker's Discovery Failures Doom Wage Suit

    A former employee of a personal injury law firm has failed to respond to its discovery requests in her lawsuit alleging she was paid less than men and harassed while she was pregnant, and her case should therefore be thrown out, the firm told a New Jersey state court.

Expert Analysis

  • Maximizing Employer Defenses After Calif. Meal Waiver Ruling

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    A California state appeals court's recent decision in Bradsbery v. Vicar Operating, finding that revocable meal period waivers prospectively signed by employees are enforceable, offers employers four steps to proactively reduce their exposure to meal period claims and bolster their defenses in a potential lawsuit, say attorneys at Fisher Phillips.

  • Independent Contractor Rule Up In The Air Under New DOL

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    In several recent court challenges, the U.S. Department of Labor has indicated its intent to revoke the 2024 independent contractor rule, sending a clear signal that it will not defend the Biden-era rule on the merits in anticipation of further rulemaking, say attorneys at Jackson Lewis.

  • Tracking FTC Labor Task Force's Focus On Worker Protection

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    The Federal Trade Commission recently directed its bureaus to form a joint labor task force, shifting the agency's focus toward protecting consumers in their role as workers, but case selection and resource allocation will ultimately reveal how significant labor markets will be in the FTC's agenda, say attorneys at Venable.

  • 5 Key Issues For Multinational Cos. Mulling Return To Office

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    As companies increasingly revisit return-to-office mandates, multinational employers may face challenges in enforcing uniform RTO practices globally, but several key considerations and practical solutions can help avoid roadblocks, say attorneys at Baker McKenzie.

  • What The Minimum Wage Shift Means For Gov't Contractors

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    While President Donald Trump's recent executive order rescinding a 2021 increase to the federal contractor minimum wage is welcome relief to some federal contractors and settles continued disagreement about its legality, there remains significant uncertainty and pitfalls over contractor wage obligations, say attorneys at Polsinelli.

  • 7 Things Employers Should Expect From Trump's OSHA Pick

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    If President Donald Trump's nominee to lead the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is confirmed, workplace safety veteran David Keeling may focus on compliance and assistance, rather than enforcement, when it comes to improving worker safety, say attorneys at Fisher Phillips.

  • Water Cooler Talk: Takeaways From 'It Ends With Us' Suits

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    Troutman’s Tracey Diamond and Emily Schifter discuss how the lawsuits filed by “It Ends With Us” stars Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni hold major lessons about workplace harassment, retaliation and employee digital media use.

  • 6 Reasons Why Arbitration Offers Equitable Resolutions

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    Contrary to a recent Law360 guest article, arbitration provides numerous benefits to employees, consumers and businesses alike, ensuring fair and efficient dispute resolution without the excessive fees, costs and delays associated with traditional litigation, say attorneys at Proskauer.

  • PG&E Win Boosts Employers' Defamation Defense

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    A California appeals court's recent Hearn v. PG&E ruling, reversing a $2 million verdict against PG&E related to an ex-employee’s retaliation claims, provides employers with a stronger defense against defamation claims tied to termination, but also highlights the need for fairness and diligence in internal investigations and communications, say attorneys at Kaufman Dolowich.

  • A Path Forward For Employers, Regardless Of DEI Stance

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    Whether a company views the Trump administration's executive orders ending diversity, equity and inclusion programs as a win or a loss, the change rearranges the employment hazards companies face, but not the non-DEI and nondiscriminatory economic incentive to seek the best workers, says Daniel S. Levy at Advanced Analytical Consulting Group.

  • Water Cooler Talk: 'Late Night' Shows DEI Is More Than Optics

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    Amid the shifting legal landscape for corporate diversity, equity and inclusion programs, Troutman's Tracey Diamond and Emily Schifter chat with their firm's DEI committee chair, Nicole Edmonds, about how the 2019 film "Late Night" reflects the challenges and rewards of fostering meaningful inclusion.

  • NCAA Rulings Signal Game Change For Athlete Classification

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    A Tennessee federal court's recent decision in Pavia v. NCAA adds to a growing call to consider classifying college athletes as employees under federal law, a change that would have unexpected, potentially prohibitive costs for schools, says J.R. Webster Cucovatz at Gilson Daub.

  • 6 Laws Transforming Calif.'s Health Regulatory Framework

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    Attorneys at Hooper Lundy discuss a number of new California laws that raise pressing issues for independent physicians and small practice groups, ranging from the use of artificial intelligence to wage standards for healthcare employees.