Wage & Hour

  • 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

    X Can't Escape Unjust Firing Claim In Severance Suit

    Three former Twitter executives can proceed with their claim that Elon Musk and the company owe them millions in severance benefits after falsely claiming they were fired justly, a California federal judge ruled, pointing to another suit mirroring nearly identical allegations.

  • 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

    DoorDash Rally Shows Wage Disputes Can Outlast AG Deals

    A rally of workers claiming DoorDash stole their pay demonstrates how gig companies continue to face wage allegations even after reaching high-profile settlements with state attorneys general.

  • 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

    What's Behind The Wider Pay Gap Amid Equal Pay Innovation

    Equal pay laws have evolved at a rapid clip in recent years, yet the pay gap widened, illustrating the lingering impact of COVID-19 on the workforce and the importance of continued innovation, attorneys say.

  • 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.

Expert Analysis

  • Employer Best Practices For Pay Transparency Compliance

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
    Author Photo

    With conflicting pay transparency and disclosure laws appearing across the country, employers must carefully develop different strategies for discussing compensation with employees, applicants, and off-site workers, disclosing salaries in job ads, and staying abreast of new state and local compliance requirements, says Joy Rosenquist at Littler Mendelson.

  • Calif. Cos. May Have To Reimburse More Remote Work Costs

    Author Photo

    After a California appeals court's recent decision in Thai v. IBM, countless California employers will be required to pay work-related costs incurred by their employees who were sent home during the pandemic, and this could be just the beginning of a reckoning, say Sonya Goodwin at Sauer & Wagner.

  • Water Cooler Talk: 'The Bear' Serves Up Advice For Managers

    Author Photo

    Tracey Diamond and Evan Gibbs at Troutman Pepper chat with Ernst & Young’s Laura Yehuda about Hulu's "The Bear" and the best practices managers can glean from the show's portrayal of workplace challenges, including those faced by young, female managers.

  • Calif. Employers Note: Industrial Welfare Commission Is Back

    Author Photo

    An appropriations bill recently passed in California instructs the Industrial Welfare Commission to reconvene for the first time in 19 years, opening a door for the regulatory body to significantly affect employer operations by strengthening standards for meal and rest breaks, scheduling, record-keeping, and more, say Denisha McKenzie and John Keeney at CDF Labor Law.

  • Recalling USWNT's Legal PR Playbook Amid World Cup Bid

    Author Photo

    As the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team strives to take home another World Cup trophy, their 2022 pay equity settlement with the U.S. Soccer Federation serves as a good reminder that winning in the court of public opinion can be more powerful than a victory inside the courtroom, says Hector Valle at Vianovo.

  • Colorado Antitrust Reform Carries Broad State Impact

    Author Photo

    Colorado recently became the latest state to update and expand its antitrust laws, and the new act may significantly affect enforcement and private litigation, particularly when it comes to workers and consumers, says Diane Hazel at Foley & Lardner.

  • Employer Tips For Fighting Back Against Explosive Verdicts

    Author Photo

    Massive jury verdicts are a product of our time, driven in part by reptile tactics, but employers can build a strategic defense to mitigate the risk of a runaway jury, and develop tools to seek judicial relief in the event of an adverse outcome, say Dawn Solowey and Lynn Kappelman at Seyfarth.

  • Calif. PAGA Ruling Not A Total Loss For Employer Arbitration

    Author Photo

    Contrary to the conclusion reached in a recent Law360 guest article, the California Supreme Court’s ruling in Adolph v. Uber Technologies did not diminish the benefit of arbitrating employees’ individual Private Attorneys General Act claims, as the very limited ruling does not undermine U.S. Supreme Court precedent, says Steven Katz at Constangy.

  • Handbook Hot Topics: Changing Status Quo In A Union Shop

    Author Photo

    A recent administrative law decision concerning a dispute between Fortune Media and the NewsGuild of New York is an important reminder to employers with unionized workforces to refrain from making unilateral updates to employee handbooks that will change the terms and conditions of employment, says Jennifer Hataway at Butler Snow.

  • Eye On Compliance: A Shift In Religious Accommodation Law

    Author Photo

    The recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Groff v. DeJoy is making it more difficult for employers to deny religious accommodations, and there are three takeaways employers should keep in mind, say William Cook and Matthew High at Wilson Elser.

  • FLSA Collective Actions: Are Courts Still Dancing The 2-Step?

    Author Photo

    In the absence of amendments to the Fair Labor Standards Act, courts have filled in some of the statute's gaps and established a two-step framework for conditional certification of a class, but recent rulings show signs that courts are ready to hold party plaintiffs to a higher standard if they want to recruit others to join their lawsuits, says Allison Powers at Barack Ferrazzano.

  • Calif. PAGA Ruling Devalues Arbitration For Employers

    Author Photo

    The California Supreme Court’s recent opinion in Adolph v. Uber may lessen employers' appetites for arbitration under the state’s Private Attorneys General Act, because arbitrating an allegedly aggrieved employee’s individual claims is unlikely to dispose of their nonindividual claims, say attorneys at Greenberg Traurig.

  • Understanding Illinois' Temp Worker Obligation Updates

    Author Photo

    Recent amendments to the Illinois Day and Temporary Labor Services Act would significantly expand the protection for temporary workers in the state, impose new compliance obligations on staffing agencies and their client companies, and add significant enforcement teeth to the act, say Nicholas Anaclerio and Ellie Hemminger at Vedder Price.