Wage & Hour

Expert Analysis

• Lessons On Using 'Advice Of Counsel' Defense In FLSA Suits

  

  Several Fair Labor Standards Act cases illustrate the dangers inherent in employers trying to use the advice-of-counsel defense as a shield against liability while attempting to guard attorney-client privilege over relevant communications, says Mark Tabakman at Fox Rothschild.

• DC Circ. Ruling Puts Issue Class Cert. Under Microscope

  

  The D.C. Circuit's recent Harris v. Medical Transportation Management decision, which pushed back against lax application of Rule 23(c)(4) to certify issue classes as an end-run around the predominance requirement, provides potentially persuasive fodder for seeking to limit the scope of issue classes in other circuits, say attorneys at Skadden.

• Ensuring Child Labor Law Compliance Amid Growing Scrutiny

  

  Amid increased attention on child labor law violations, employers should review their policies and practices with respect to the employment of minors, particularly underage migrants who do not have any parents in the U.S., say Felicia O'Connor and Morgan McDonald at Foley & Lardner.

• Employer Best Practices For Pay Transparency Compliance

  Excerpt from Practical Guidance

  

  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

  

  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

  

  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

  

  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

  

  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

  

  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

  

  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

  

  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

  

  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

  

  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.