Wage & Hour

Expert Analysis

• A DOL Reminder That ADA Doesn't Limit FMLA Protections

  

  A recent U.S. Department of Labor opinion letter and some case law make clear that the Family and Medical Leave Act fills in gaps where the Americans with Disabilities Act may not neatly apply, however the agency ignored a number of courts that have supported termination when "no overtime" restrictions effectively reduce a position to part-time, says Jeff Nowak at Littler Mendelson.

• Pending NCAA Ruling Could Spell Change For Unpaid Interns

  

  The Third Circuit's upcoming Johnson v. NCAA decision, over whether student-athletes can be considered university employees, could reverberate beyond college sports and force employers with unpaid student interns to add these workers to their payrolls, say Babak Yousefzadeh and Skyler Hicks at Sheppard Mullin.

• How Managers Can Curb Invisible Off-The-Clock Work Claims

  

  There has been a rash of recent federal lawsuits in which nonexempt employees have alleged their employers failed to pay them for off-the-clock work done without their managers' knowledge, but employers taking proactive measures to limit such work may substantially lower litigation risks, says Robert Turk at Stearns Weaver.

• 5 Potential Perils Of Implementing Employee Sabbaticals

  

  As companies try to retain employees with sabbatical benefits amid record-low unemployment rates, employers should be aware of several potential legal risks when considering policies to allow these leave periods, say Jesse Dill and Corissa Pennow at Ogletree.

• NY Hospitality Employers Face Lofty Compliance Burden

  

  As New York hospitality businesses have reopened over the last year, there are more employment compliance considerations now than ever before, including regulations and laws related to wage rates, tip credits, just cause and uniform maintenance pay, say attorneys at Reed Smith.

• COVID's Impact On Employment Law Is Still Felt 3 Years Later

  

  Since COVID-19's onset in the U.S. three years ago, almost every existing aspect of employment law has been shaped by pandemic-induced changes, including accommodation requests under the Americans with Disabilities Act, remote work policies and employer vaccine mandates, say Scott Allen and M.C. Cravatta at Foley & Lardner.

• Ecolab Ruling Opens Doors For Percentage Bonuses In Calif.

  

  California's Second Appellate District recently became the first court in the state to clear the air on percentage bonuses, providing employers who have wanted to offer such bonuses with a new option to do so without having to recalculate the overtime regular rate, says Paul Lynd at ArentFox Schiff.

• How Employers Can Defend Against Claims Made In Bad Faith

  Excerpt from Practical Guidance

  

  When an employer becomes aware of an employee complaint, it should carefully research whether the claim could be characterized as frivolous or in bad faith, and then consider various defense strategies, say Ellen Holloman and Jaclyn Hall at Cadwalader.

• Encouraging Labor Abuse Reports Beyond The PAGA Model

  

  The recent stalling of several state bills modeled after California's Private Attorneys General Act, which would allow workers to sue on behalf of the state over labor violations, suggests budget-constrained regulators should consider alternative tools for incentivizing employees to flag workplace abuses, says Joseph Jeziorkowski at Valiant Law.

• Eye On Compliance: Service Animal Accommodations

  

  A Michigan federal court's recent ruling in Bennett v. Hurley Medical Center provides guidance on when employee service animals must be permitted in the workplace — a question otherwise lacking clarity under the Americans with Disabilities Act that has emerged as people return to the office post-pandemic, says Lauren Stadler at Wilson Elser.

• Joint Employment Mediation Sessions Are Worth The Work

  

  Despite the recent trend away from joint mediation in employment disputes, and the prevailing belief that putting both parties in the same room is only a recipe for lost ground, face-to-face sessions can be valuable tools for moving toward win-win resolutions when planned with certain considerations in mind, says Jonathan Andrews at Signature Resolution.

• Takeaways From Virgin's Wage And Hour Class Action Loss

  

  A California district court recently issued a $31 million judgment against Virgin America in a wage and hour class action brought by flight attendants, a reminder that the state Labor Code's reach extends beyond the Golden State when the facts show a strong connection to work performed there, says Julie O’Dell at Armstrong Teasdale.

• There's More To The Helix FLSA Opinion Than Meets The Eye

  

  At first blush, the U.S. Supreme Court's recent Helix decision seems remarkable for its determination that an oil rig worker who makes $200,000 a year can still be entitled to overtime, but the decision also offers two more important takeaways about how the Fair Labor Standards Act may be applied, says Nicholas Woodfield at The Employment Law Group.