Illinois has adopted some of the most generous laws regarding employees’ wages and labor rights. As with many municipalities across the country, Chicago has enacted even stronger ordinances in these areas. Recent changes affecting employees’ days off from work, meal breaks, and other important protections have gone into...
A common employer tactic is to assign work tasks to employees while they are “off the clock” - that is, to tell workers to perform their job duties either before or after their shifts. Of course, this amounts to nothing more than wage theft by requiring that unpaid work be done. One...
The question of whether day rate workers are entitled to overtime has finally been answered in the affirmative by the U.S. Supreme Court. The Court recently handed down a decision that makes it clear that day rate workers are not exempt from overtime rules, even if they are highly compensated. This decision...
An investigation confirmed that Kentucky-based Heine Brothers Coffee was improperly handling tips paid to employees by allowing managers to take a portion of the tips. The incident is noteworthy both in the sum of money paid and the fact that such practices often go on for years, unless...
As a general matter, employees who are covered by the Fair Labor Standard Act’s (FLSA’s) overtime provisions must be paid time and a half for all hours worked over 40 during a week. That means non-exempt workers are entitled to be paid one and a half times their...
It is unfortunately common for employers to misclassify their employees as independent contractors. Not only does this violate the employees’ rights to overtime and other legal protections, but this abuse also corrupts the true independent contracting system. As one Panama City Beach, Florida hotel...
Holding dishonest businesses accountable for refusing to pay overtime is only half the battle. In a recent case involving a Tempe, Arizona-based construction contractor, the government has won its judgment but is still trying to locate workers who were cheated out of what they earned. If you’ve been...
Bounced payroll checks are bad enough. Distributing worthless checks is a denial of a worker’s right to their wages and can easily land an employer in hot water. But for three related New Orleans construction companies, the payroll issue uncovered a much more widespread problem of misclassifying employees as
Many industries use timekeeping systems that automatically deduct lunch breaks from employees’ paid hours. This practice is especially common with hospital direct care workers. The problem is that employees are often expected to work during their lunch “breaks,” which means they should be paid for that time. One...
With the new year well underway, several states have enacted legislation that will raise the minimum wage either in January or later in 2023. Workers in over two dozen states, plus the District of Columbia, will see their paychecks increase. If you live in one of these areas, it’s important that you...
