Does a plaintiff’s allegation that he was about to join a pending Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) collective (class) action against his former employer, combined with the employer’s knowledge that he was a potential class member, sufficiently constitute being “about to testify” in an FLSA proceeding, such that the former employer’s actions in prohibiting the
Has Lynn’s Food Grown Stale? Courts Increasingly Question Obligation to Review FLSA Settlements
For 40 years, the majority of federal courts have followed the holding of Lynn’s Food Stores, Inc. v. U.S., 679 F.2d 1350 (11th Cir. 1982), that FLSA claims may be settled only through approval by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) or through a lawsuit filed by the individual, in which a court of
2020 Wage & Hour Developments: A Year in Review
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
Workplace Law Under a Biden Administration
As President-elect Joe Biden selects members of his Cabinet and prepares for his transition into the presidency, he and a Democratic majority in the House of Representatives may pursue a number of significant pieces of federal workplace legislation. Many of these employment law measures successfully passed the House in 2019 and 2020. And, with the
Pandemic Necessitates Review of Donning and Doffing Policies
As federal and state safety and health guidelines in response to the COVID-19 pandemic call for extensive use of personal protective equipment (PPE) in the workplace, employers should give their policies on “donning and doffing” a fresh look. Pandemic-related reopening orders issued by state and local governments may include requirements that will require employers to
California’s “ABC” Test for Independent Contractor Analysis to be Applied Retroactively
California employers were dealt another setback in the responding to claims of misclassification of independent contractor status for violations of the Industrial Welfare Commission Wage Order (“IWC Wage Orders”). Noting California’s “basic legal tradition” that “judicial decisions are given retroactive effect,” the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has held that the State’s
New York Appeals Court Rejects Enforceability of Class Action Waivers – But Is This Ruling Short-Lived?
In an issue of first impression in the state of New York, last week the New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division (the state’s intermediate appellate court) weighed in on the enforceability of arbitration provisions that preclude employees from pursuing claims on a class, collective or representative basis. The appeals court concluded that such provisions are
Seventh Circuit Issues Employer-Friendly Ruling on FLSA Tip Credit
The Fair Labor Standards Act has long provided that an employer may satisfy its federal minimum wage obligations for a tipped employee by applying the employee’s tips as a credit toward the minimum wage and, in doing so, directly pay such employee less than the general minimum wage. If the employer’s wages plus the employee’s
Does An Offer of Complete Relief Moot a Plaintiff’s Individual and Corresponding Class Claims?
Special thanks to Jeff Brecher for material from his recent web article relied on for this post.
If an employee brings a class action lawsuit, the employer offers the representative employee more than he could possibly recover individually in the lawsuit and the employee rejects the offer, does the offer “moot” the individual’s claims and,