The coronavirus pandemic is changing the face of work. Many employees are working from home, while others are putting in double-time in essential roles. As the economy reopens, employers have implemented and will continue to implement measures designed to limit the spread of Covid-19. At their best, these myriad changes may make employees safer and more efficient in their jobs.…
By law, employees in the United States must be paid a base minimum for their work performed. However, this protection varies widely depending on the state in which the employees are working. The federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) provides the baseline protection for employees. Regardless of state, employers generally must pay their employees at least $7.25 per hour. While…
Hourly workers’ paychecks can be unpredictable, varying drastically depending on their hours. Unscrupulous employers exploit this variance to short hourly employees of their full wages for their labor, often undetected. Tipped workers in most states are uniquely vulnerable to wage theft. Most tipped workers earn a reduced hourly rate – in Washington, DC, the tipped rate is currently $3.89 per hour. For…
During the United States Supreme Court October Term 2017, the Court delivered a 1-2 punch against workers and their right to earn overtime pay with its decisions in Encino Motorcars, LLC v. Navarro et al. and Epic Systems Corp v. Lewis (decided together with Ernst & Young, LLP et al, v. Morris et al., and National Labor Relations Board v. Murphy Oil USA, Inc., et al.,).…
You may remember that about a year a half ago, the Department of Labor, under President Obama, issued a rule that was going change what’s called the “salary level” for “white collar” workers. The salary level is part of the federal overtime rules. Those rules basically say: if you’re a white collar worker and you make less than the salary level you…
New York City workers and employee advocates cheered as the city last week passed legislation designed to protect some of its most vulnerable workers. After being approved by the City Council on May 24, Mayor Bill de Blasio signed the Fair Work Week legislative package into law on May 30, 2017, stating that “thousands of people are going to gain…
If you’ve been on social media today, you probably know that it’s Equal Pay Day. Congratulations, ladies: we’re trending on Twitter (far ahead of #NationalGrilledCheeseDay). And now that we’re a solid four months into 2016, the average woman’s earnings have finally caught up to what the average man made…in 2015. If you’re anything like me, you’ve heard the oft-repeated statistic:…
For every woman who’s ever questioned if she is paid less than her male colleagues, President Obama has an answer: Let’s run the numbers. According to a proposed rule, businesses with more than 100 employees will soon provide salary data to the EEOC annually, along with the more general information on workforce demographics employers have supplied since 1966. This information, which…
I have been psychologically conditioned by American culture to feel that open discussion about salaries is deeply uncomfortable, as if it involved baring your personal finances. I have earned money ever since I was 9 years old, working as a mommy’s helper for neighbors, to supplement my small weekly allowance. And I learned very early on that it is not…
In the realm of American politics and culture, California is known for leading the way on a host of issues, from the environment to the tech boom. Now the Golden State is poised to launch one of the nation’s boldest attempts to fix pay inequality between men and women. The state’s proposed Fair Pay Act, which passed the state Senate on…