The laws governing wages and hours of work affect nearly everyone—and have a significant affect on class and collective actions. How employees are paid, whether as hourly non-exempt, salaried-exempt, tipped, or commissioned sales workers, and how much they are paid, are questions of deep interest to employees and employers alike. And because the laws regulating wages generally apply only to employees, as opposed to independent contractors, who is an employee is also a significant issue of concern.

All these issues were addressed in 2020 by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), the U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeal, and state legislatures. Federal and state laws regulating wages and hours of work continued to change and develop last year, expanding in some areas and contracting in others.

In “2020 Wage & Hour Developments: A Year in Review,” attorneys in Jackson Lewis’ Wage and Hour Practice Group look back on the significant wage and hour developments  in the laws governing the payment of wages and limitations on hours of work.