Wage & Hour

  • June 30, 2025

    Wage & Hour Features Revisited: State Debates, DOL Updates

    From a look at state-level debates happening in New Jersey and California to analyses on the latest minimum wage and U.S. Department of Labor developments, catch up on Law360 Employment Authority's wage and hour coverage from June. Here's a look at features and analyses you might have missed from the past month.

  • June 30, 2025

    Perdue Can't Reduce Collective In Misclassification Suit

    Perdue Foods LLC cannot shave off seven opt-in plaintiffs in a collective action accusing it of misclassifying poultry growers as independent contractors, a Maryland federal judge ruled, saying it's too early to determine whether the workers brought their claims too late.

  • June 27, 2025

    Google Fired Worker For Taking Medical Leave, Suit Claims

    A former Google employee said she was discriminated against and fired for taking approved medical leave, according to a lawsuit filed in Washington state court.

  • June 27, 2025

    Univ. Of Tenn. Hospital Strikes Deal To End Wage Suit

    The University of Tennessee Medical Center reached a deal Friday with a collective of flight nurses and paramedics who accused the medical center of failing to pay them overtime wages and deducting time for meal breaks they didn't get to take, according to a filing in Tennessee federal court.

  • June 27, 2025

    DOL Says No More Liquidated Damages In Wage-Hour Probes

    The U.S. Department of Labor said Friday it would no longer seek liquidated damages in wage and hour investigations, marking a shift away from its approach under the Biden administration. 

  • June 27, 2025

    Contractor Must Face OT Suit Over Fringe Benefits Payments

    A federal contractor cannot escape a lawsuit accusing it of failing to include cash in lieu of benefits payments in overtime pay calculations, a California federal judge ruled, saying the firm failed to show that the fringe benefits payments should be exempt from the regular rate of pay.

  • June 27, 2025

    Calif. Forecast: Staffing Co. Wants Discrimination Case Axed

    In the coming week, attorneys should keep an eye out for arguments in a staffing company's renewed attempt to toss a disability discrimination case. Here's a look at that case and other labor and employment matters coming up in California.

  • June 27, 2025

    HVAC Co. Cuts Deal To End Public Works Pay Suit

    A heating, ventilation and air conditioning company will pay $225,000 to resolve workers' allegations that it failed to pay prevailing wages on public works projects in New York City and New York state, a filing in federal court said.

  • June 27, 2025

    Where 4 Wage Rules Stand Halfway Through 2025

    Some Biden-era wage and hour rules that remain on the books face uncertain futures six months into 2025 in President Donald Trump's new term. Here, Law360 looks at where those rules stand.

  • June 26, 2025

    No Work Needed For Military Leave Pay, Wash. Justices Say

    Washington state public employees are entitled to paid military leave even if they are not scheduled to work because they are on active duty during an extended military leave of absence, the state's Supreme Court ruled Thursday, saying the state's paid military leave statute is unambiguous.

  • June 26, 2025

    Key DOL Nominees Clear US Senate Committee

    U.S. Department of Labor nominees cleared a U.S. Senate committee Thursday and are set to head to a vote in the full chamber, moving the agency closer to having a complete leadership team that is likely to proceed with policy changes.

  • June 26, 2025

    NY School Gets Bias Suit Narrowed But Must Face Pay Claims

    Hilbert College can escape a former associate professor's gender discrimination and retaliation claims but must face her claims that she was paid less than male colleagues, a New York federal judge ruled, saying a jury should evaluate the school's explanation that other factors could account for the pay disparities.

  • June 26, 2025

    Ex-Truist Banker Says Age Got Her Fired

    A Truist manager subjected a 57-year-old banker to unfair criticism and abruptly fired her, the former employee said in a wage and discrimination suit in Georgia federal court, adding that her direct manager resigned in part to protest her termination.

  • June 26, 2025

    Fire Chief Says City Got 'Cold Feet' On Race Bias Deal

    A $180,000 settlement resolving a race bias suit should be enforced, a fire chief told a North Carolina federal court, saying he canceled his jury trial against the city of Charlotte because the parties reached a deal, despite the city's argument that no final written agreement exists.

  • June 26, 2025

    Seyfarth Adds Lagasse Branch Employment Litigator In LA

    Seyfarth Shaw LLP is growing its labor and employment team, announcing Wednesday it is bringing in a Lagasse Branch Bell + Kinkead LPP employment litigator as a partner in its Century City office in Los Angeles.

  • June 25, 2025

    Trump's DOL Blocked From Slashing Job Corps Program

    A New York federal judge Wednesday issued a nationwide preliminary injunction prohibiting the U.S. Department of Labor from "suspending" most of the Job Corps program, ruling that Congress created the program and funded it, and the "DOL is not free to do as it pleases."

  • June 25, 2025

    DOL Urges Judge Not To Block H-2A Prevailing Wage Rules

    The U.S. Department of Labor defended its 2022 H-2A prevailing wage regulations against claims from a farmworker union in Washington federal court, arguing the agency's rules are lawful and must be upheld.

  • June 25, 2025

    Latino Atty Says Va. Law Firm Axed Him For Flagging Bias

    An employee-side law firm repeatedly stood in the way of a Latino attorney's career advancement, underpaid him, and fired him after he advocated for increasing a Black attorney's pay to match that of a white colleague, a lawsuit filed Wednesday in Maryland federal court said.

  • June 25, 2025

    DOL Says Trump Order Moots Contractor Wage Case

    A Colorado federal court should throw out an outdoor group's challenge to a Biden-era mandate requiring federal contractors to pay a $15 minimum wage, the U.S. Department of Labor argued, saying President Donald Trump has rescinded the rule that the lawsuit challenges.

  • June 25, 2025

    Sysco Inks Deal To End Worker's Unpaid OT Suit

    Sysco will pay a little over $20,000 to resolve a former employee's lawsuit accusing the food product distributor of failing to pay him for off-the-clock work and miscalculating his overtime wages, according to a filing Wednesday in Georgia federal court.

  • June 25, 2025

    Foxwoods Restaurant Wage Suit Deal Gets Initial Nod

    A Connecticut state court judge has given her preliminary approval to a $425,000 settlement between Sugar Factory American Brasserie, a restaurant at the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation's Foxwoods Resort Casino, and a class of 55 servers who claim their pay was shorted for several years.

  • June 25, 2025

    Curaleaf Says Class Cert. Wrong For Budtenders' Tips Suit

    Curaleaf Inc. is urging a Maryland federal court to deny conditional class certification to a class of budtenders who allege the company illegally shares tips with store leads, arguing that they haven't shown any common policy or practice among its dispensaries that warrants class treatment.

  • June 25, 2025

    Hanford Contractor To Pay $6.5M To Settle Fraud Allegations

    A contractor tapped to manage and operate a tank farm holding millions of gallons of hazardous and radioactive waste at the Hanford nuclear site in Washington will pay $6.5 million to settle claims it overcharged the U.S. Department of Energy for labor hours, according to federal prosecutors.

  • June 25, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Backs Navy's Win In OT Pay Contract Dispute

    The Federal Circuit declined Wednesday to reverse a decision finding a government contractor is not owed money for the cost of paying out overtime wages it incurred from trying to meet a U.S. Navy deadline, saying the company's failure to finish the project on time was not excusable.

  • June 24, 2025

    X Corp. Fights Ex-Twitter Workers' Arbitration Bid

    X Corp. challenged a request from former Twitter employees in Washington state to make the social media giant arbitrate claims about unpaid severance and bonuses, telling a federal judge that there is a lack of evidence showing the workers have valid arbitration agreements with the company.

Expert Analysis

  • Green Card Sponsorship Expectations Reset In 2024

    Author Photo

    In 2024, adjudication times for employment-based green card applications increased to about 13 months, prompting more employers to implement varied strategies to avoid losing talent and minimize business disruptions, a trend that is likely to continue in the new year, says Jennifer Cory at FisherBroyles.

  • Ring In The New Year With An Updated Employee Handbook

    Author Photo

    One of the best New Year's resolutions employers can make is to update their employee handbooks, given that a handbook can mitigate, or even prevent, costly litigation as long as it accounts for recent changes in laws, court rulings and agency decisions, say attorneys at Kutak Rock.

  • 9 Things To Expect From Trump's Surprising DOL Pick

    Author Photo

    The unexpected nomination of Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, R-Ore., to lead the U.S. Department of Labor reflects a blend of pro-business and pro-labor leanings, and signals that employers should prepare for a mix of continuity and moderate adjustments in the coming years, say attorneys at Fisher Phillips.

  • Wage Whiplash: Surviving A Compliance Roller Coaster

    Author Photo

    As the transition to the Trump administration causes mounting uncertainty about federal wage and hour policies, employers can transform compliance challenges into opportunities for resilience and growth by taking key steps to comply with stricter state and local requirements, says Lee Jacobs at Barclay Damon.

  • What May Have Led Calif. Voters To Reject Min. Wage Hike

    Author Photo

    County-specific election results for California’s ballot measure that would have raised the state’s minimum wage to $18 show that last year's introduction of a $20 minimum wage for fast-food workers may have influenced voters’ narrow rejection of the measure, says Stephen Bronars​​​​​​​ at Edgeworth Economics.

  • Every Dog Has Its Sick Day: Inside NYC's Pet Leave Bill

    Author Photo

    In what would be a first-of-its-kind law for a major metropolitan area, a recent proposal would amend New York City's Earned Safe and Sick Time Act to include animal care as an accepted use of sick leave — and employers may not think it's the cat's meow, say attorneys at Morrison Cohen.

  • 7th Circ. Travel Time Ruling Has Far-Reaching Implications

    Author Photo

    In a case of first impression, the Seventh Circuit’s recent holding in Walters v. Professional Labor Group will have significant implications for employers that must now provide travel time compensation for employees on overnight assignments away from home, says Anthony Sbardellati at Akerman.

  • 7 Ways To Prepare For An I-9 Audit Or Immigration Raid

    Author Photo

    Because immigration enforcement is likely to surge under the upcoming Trump administration, employers should take steps to ensure their staff is trained in employment eligibility verification requirements and what to do in the event of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement I-9 audit or workplace raid, say attorneys at Littler.

  • Args In 2 High Court Cases May Foretell Clarity For Employers

    Author Photo

    Mary Anna Brand at Maynard Nexsen examines possible employment implications of two cases argued before the Supreme Court this fall, including a higher bar for justifying employees as overtime exempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act, and earlier grants of prevailing party status for employee-plaintiffs seeking attorney fees.

  • Disentangling Various Forms Of Workplace Discrimination

    Author Photo

    Pay inequity can be missed where it exists and misidentified due to incorrect statistics, leaving individuals to face multiple facets of discrimination connected by a common root cause, meaning correct identification and measurement is crucial, says Daniel Levy at Advanced Analytical.

  • Calif. Ruling May Shield Public Employers From Labor Claims

    Author Photo

    In Stone v. Alameda Health System, the California Supreme Court recently exempted a county hospital from state-mandated rest breaks and the Private Attorneys General Act, granting government employers a robust new bulwark against other labor statutes by undermining an established doctrine for determining if a law applies to public entities, say attorneys at Hunton.

  • Key Requirements In New Maryland Pay Transparency Laws

    Author Photo

    Although several jurisdictions now require pay transparency in job advertisements, Maryland's new law is among the broadest in the country, both in terms of what is required and the scope of its applicability, says Sarah Belger at Quarles & Brady.

  • Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: November Lessons

    Author Photo

    In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy discusses six federal court decisions that touch on Rule 23 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, and when individual inquiries are needed to prove economic loss.