Wage & Hour

  • August 07, 2026

    Translation Co. Can't Escape Misclassified Workers' OT Action

    A former worker's wage and hour class action against a translation services company largely survived a motion to dismiss in California federal court, with most claims allowed to proceed while the wrongful termination and meal break class claims were tossed.

  • August 07, 2026

    NY Forecast: Judge Weighs Blocking Farm Labor Contract

    In the week ahead, a New York federal judge will consider a worker's request to block a labor contract implemented at an upstate farm after an arbitration process laid out in a state law granting union rights to farmworkers.

  • August 06, 2026

    Judge Tosses Nuclear Power Wage-Fixing Case, For Now

    A Maryland federal court tossed a proposed class action accusing nuclear energy producers including Constellation Energy, DTE Energy and Duke Energy of fixing wages, after finding the claims came too late.

  • August 06, 2026

    Wash. Equipment Dealer Worker Pursues Collective Wage Suit

    About 50 employees of a heavy machinery dealer in Washington state were impacted by the company's noncompliance with the Fair Labor Standards Act, a former employee alleged, asking a Washington state judge to turn his FLSA suit against RDO Equipment Co. into a collective action.

  • August 06, 2026

    Mich. Contractor Faces Class Claims For Unpaid Work Time

    A former commercial service technician has accused a Michigan-based industrial maintenance contractor in federal court of systematically removing hours from field employees' time records and failing to pay them for on-call duty, travel, missed meal breaks and other work.

  • August 06, 2026

    Home Depot Seeks Early Win In Moonlighting Class Suit

    Home Depot has asked a Washington federal court to end a class action alleging its outside employment policies violate state law before trial, arguing the worker who brought the suit never signed any noncompetition agreement, never wanted a second job and was never harmed by any company policy.

  • August 06, 2026

    Fisher Phillips Grows With Pair Of NJ Employment Litigators

    Management-side labor law firm Fisher Phillips has brought aboard a pair of new partners in New Jersey who bring deep experience in employment litigation from Carmagnola & Ritardi LLC and Kaufman Dolowich LLP, the firm said Wednesday.

  • August 06, 2026

    Rising Star: Phillips & Associates' Melissa Berouty

    Melissa Berouty of Phillips & Associates helped secure a $5.25 million settlement for a BigLaw partner who claimed that she faced sexual harassment and assault and a $2.1 million settlement for a worker who claimed whistleblower retaliation, earning her a spot among the employment law practitioners under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.

  • August 06, 2026

    John Deere Says Severance Program Isn't ERISA Plan

    John Deere has moved in Illinois federal court to dismiss former employees' claims that its severance program is governed by federal retirement law, arguing that the program's one-time lump sum payments require no ongoing administration. 

  • August 06, 2026

    Mass. City Beats Due Process Claim By Cop Put On Leave

    A Massachusetts federal court rejected a Cambridge police officer's due process claim over his placement on paid leave during a disciplinary investigation, finding that neither a requirement to stay home during work hours nor a loss of overtime opportunities violated his rights.

  • August 05, 2026

    Unread Arbitration Emails Are Unenforceable, 9th Circ. Rules

    Arbitration agreements sent to workers aren't arbitration agreements assented to by workers, the Ninth Circuit held Wednesday, rejecting assertions from medical supplies giant Thermo Fisher Scientific that its arbitration-related emails — even if never read — sufficed to keep an ex-employee's proposed class action out of court.

  • August 05, 2026

    Drexel Can't Shake Prof's Retaliation Suit, Pa. Judge Rules

    A tenured philosophy professor's retaliation claims against Drexel University will proceed to trial after a Pennsylvania federal court denied the university's bid for an early win, finding that genuine factual disputes remain over whether the university's course format change was retaliatory.

  • August 05, 2026

    Bakery Pays $45K After DOL Child Labor, Wage Probe

    The operators of three San Antonio, Texas, bakery locations paid $45,000 in back wages and penalties after a U.S. Department of Labor probe found child labor and wage violations, the agency announced.

  • August 05, 2026

    NY Health Center Can't Pare Back Wage Suit, Judge Says

    A New York federal judge refused Wednesday to narrow proposed groups of workers suing a healthcare facility over overtime and sick pay or dismiss the sick-leave and wage-statement claims, finding a former worker plausibly alleged broad pay practices and harm from misleading records.

  • August 05, 2026

    Law360 Explores: The Subminimum Wage Debate

    The federal minimum wage is often treated as a cornerstone of American employment law. But for hundreds of thousands of workers nationwide, exceptions remain embedded in the legal system. "Law360 Explores: Subminimum Wage," a three-part audio series, examines how and why certain workers can legally be paid less than the federal minimum, $7.25 an hour.

  • August 05, 2026

    Rising Star: Littler's Rocio Blanco Garcia

    Littler Mendelson PC shareholder Rocio Blanco Garcia's litigation work helped to clarify how employers can beat whistleblower cases in the Eleventh Circuit, and her advisory work gave thousands of employees of a Florida county access to paid parental leave, earning her a spot among the employment lawyers under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.

  • August 05, 2026

    Md. Court OKs Collective In Construction OT 'Two-Check' Suit

    A Maryland federal court has conditionally certified a collective of construction workers who allege their employer systematically underpaid overtime through a scheme of issuing two separate checks, with the second check often for a flat $104 regardless of the actual overtime hours worked.

  • August 05, 2026

    Calif. Hotel To Pay $2.75M To End COVID Rehiring Probe

    An Anaheim, California, Marriott hotel will pay $2.75 million to resolve a state Labor Commissioner's Office investigation into allegations that it violated state law by failing to rehire two dozen employees who were laid off during the pandemic, the agency announced.

  • August 05, 2026

    Lockheed Reaches $620K Deal To End Walking Time Claims

    Lockheed Martin agreed to pay $620,000 to end a former employee's proposed class action alleging the defense contractor failed to pay employees for the time they walked to and from time clocks at a Pennsylvania facility, according to a motion filed in federal court.

  • August 05, 2026

    UPS Driver Says Late Sick Pay Can't Sink Colo. Suit

    A UPS driver urged a Colorado federal judge to reject the company's early win bid in a proposed class action, arguing late payments cannot erase paid-sick-leave violations.

  • August 05, 2026

    NJ Justices Nix Extra COVID Pay For School Custodians

    The New Jersey Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that a state law passed during the COVID-19 pandemic properly barred school custodians from claiming extra emergency pay under their collective bargaining agreement, finding that the law required employees to be treated as if schools had stayed open.

  • August 04, 2026

    NY Car Wash Owner Accused Of Shaving Hours, Taking Tips

    The owner of a chain of New York car wash businesses shaved time off of the weekly wages of his employees, illegally retained their tips and retaliated against them when they complained, according to a proposed class and collective action filed in federal court on Tuesday.

  • August 04, 2026

    Ministerial Exception's Reach At Center Of Calif. Wage Case

    The California Supreme Court is reviewing whether a carveout to employment law liability that religious institutions use as a shield in discrimination cases extends to wage and hour claims, stepping into a debate that the U.S. Supreme Court previously declined to take up. 

  • August 04, 2026

    Campbell's And Staffing Co. Hit With Unpaid OT Suit

    The Campbell's Co. and the staffing firm CorTech LLC violated federal and state wage laws by requiring hourly contingent workers to work nights and weekends without overtime pay, a proposed class and collective action filed in New Jersey federal court claims.

  • August 04, 2026

    Va. Traffic Control Workers Sue Over Timecards, Retaliation

    Five Virginia traffic control workers sued their employer Tuesday in federal court, alleging the company deleted or shortened their recorded hours to suppress overtime pay, failed to pay for required travel and retaliated against workers who refused to sign a new timekeeping policy.

Expert Analysis

  • 5 Insurance Claims That Could Emerge After NCAA Settlement

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    Following the recent NCAA class action settlement that will allow revenue sharing with college athletes, there may be potential management liability for universities, their executive leadership and boards that could expose insurers to tax, regulatory, breach of contract and other claims, says Sarah Abrams at Baleen Specialty.

  • 8th Circ. Ruling Highlights Complicated Remote Work Analysis

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    The Eighth Circuit’s recent opinion in Kuklenski v. Medtronic USA demonstrates that the applicability of employment laws to remote workers is often a fact-driven analysis, highlighting several parameters to consider when evaluating what state and local laws may apply to employees who work remotely, say attorneys at Vedder Price.

  • Philly Law Initiates New Era Of Worker Protections

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    A new worker protection law in Philadelphia includes, among other measures, a private right of action and recordkeeping requirements that may amount to a lower evidentiary standard, introducing a new level of accountability and additional noncompliance risks for employers, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Dissecting House And Senate's Differing No-Tax-On-Tips Bills

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    Employers should understand how the House and Senate versions of no-tax-on-tips bills differ — including in the scope of related deductions and reporting requirements — to meet any new compliance obligations and communicate with their employees, say attorneys at Greenberg Traurig.

  • 4 Midyear Employer Actions To Reinforce Compliance

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    The legal and political landscape surrounding what the government describes as unlawful diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives has become increasingly complex over the past six months, and the midyear juncture presents a strategic opportunity to reinforce commitments to legal integrity, workplace equity and long-term operational resilience, say attorneys at Krevolin & Horst.

  • Water Cooler Talk: Performance Review Tips From 'Severance'

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    In the hit series "Severance," the eerie depiction of performance reviews, which drone on for hours and focus on frivolous issues, can instruct employers about best practices to follow and mistakes to avoid when conducting employee evaluations, say Tracey Diamond and Emily Schifter at Troutman.

  • What Employers Should Know About New Wash. WARN Act

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    Washington state's Securing Timely Notification and Benefits for Laid-Off Employees Act will soon require 60 days' notice for certain mass layoffs and business closures, so employers should understand how their obligations differ from those under the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act before implementing layoffs or closings, say attorneys at Littler.

  • Takeaways From DOJ's 1st Wage-Fixing Jury Conviction

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    U.S. v. Lopez marked the U.S. Department of Justice's first labor market conviction at trial as a Nevada federal jury found a home healthcare staffing executive guilty of wage-fixing and wire fraud, signaling that improper agreements risk facing successful criminal prosecution, say attorneys at McGuireWoods.

  • Handbook Hot Topics: Relying On FLSA Regs Amid Repeals

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    Because handbook policies often rely on federal regulations, President Donald Trump's recent actions directing agency heads to repeal "facially unlawful regulations" may leave employers wondering what may change, but they should be mindful that even a repealed regulation may have accurately stated the law, say attorneys at Kutak Rock.

  • Understanding Compliance Concerns With NY Severance Bill

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    New York's No Severance Ultimatums Act, if enacted, could overhaul how employers manage employee separations, but employers should be mindful that the bill's language introduces ambiguities and raises compliance concerns, say attorneys at Norris McLaughlin.

  • What Employers Should Know Ahead Of H-2B Visa Changes

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    Employers should be aware of several anticipated changes to the H-2B visa program, which allows employers to hire temporary foreign workers, including annual prevailing wage changes and other shifts arising from recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions and the new administration, say Steve Bronars and Elliot Delahaye at Edgeworth Economics, and Chris Schulte at Fisher Phillips.

  • Int'l Athletes' Wages Should Be On-Campus Employment

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    The U.S. Department of Homeland Security should recognize participation in college athletics by international student-athletes as on-campus employment to prevent the potentially disastrous ripple effects on teams, schools and their surrounding communities, says Catherine Haight at Haight Law Group.

  • 4 Trends Responsible For Declining FLSA Filings

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    In 2024, the number of Fair Labor Standards Act claims filed in federal courts continued to decrease, reflecting a steady decline in federal FLSA filings since 2015 due to a few trends, including increased compliance and presuit resolution, say attorneys at Seyfarth.