The Department of Labor (DOL) has issued a new opinion letter addressing when walking time during a meal period affects compensability under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The issue: Whether a 60-minute unpaid lunch, with six to 14 minutes…
Employment Law
Oregon's companionship services exemption is narrowing for home care agencies under Senate Bill 1518. SB 1518 freezes Oregon's definition of companionship services to the federal definition in effect Jan. 1, 2016, so future federal changes won't automatically expand the state's…
In June 2025, Rhode Island became the first state to pass a law requiring workplace protections for employees experiencing menopause. Now, two more jurisdictions – Illinois and Philadelphia – are following Rhode Island’s lead with laws that expand protections for…
Can exempt nonprofit staff "volunteer" after hours to do additional work for their employer? A new Department of Labor opinion letter, issued in response to a nonprofit that raises service dogs, says yes – if the volunteer duties aren’t the…
Effective Jan. 1, 2027, Washington's SB 5217 extends the Healthy Starts Act to employers of any size – dropping the current 15-employee threshold to one or more employees – and adds new compliance obligations for lactation and pregnancy accommodations. Lactation…
Trader Joe’s has agreed to pay $12.47 million to settle a proposed class action lawsuit alleging violations of California’s wage and hour laws. According to the complaint, Trader Joe’s: Rounded time punches, resulting in employees being underpaid Excluded “Thank You”…
In Arkansas, a jury has awarded more than $100,000 to a male surgical technician who filed an EEOC charge alleging he was discriminated against because of his sex. The six-figure verdict is a reminder that federal Title VII protects all…
An urgent care facility in Georgia has agreed to pay $113,199 to resolve alleged violations of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). According to an investigation by the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Premier Health Consultants…
New Jersey's Employer Response Portal for unemployment separation reporting is now live, under P.L. 2022, c. 120 (S2357). Employers must report every employee separation to the Division of Unemployment Insurance within seven days of the separation date, or within seven…
Federal and state laws tend to dominate compliance discussions, but local ordinances carry serious financial consequences, too. Case in point: The City of Seattle’s Office of Labor Standards (OLS) recently announced its second-largest enforcement action ever – a nearly $4.4…
When layoffs occur, the immediate concerns are often understandably front and center. But employers also need to take a longer view of the compliance obligations that can arise before, during and after a workforce reduction. A recent settlement out of…
New Jersey has reached an employee misclassification settlement with STG Logistics over allegations that the company and its predecessor misclassified hundreds of truck drivers as independent contractors. New Owner Assumed Liability In 2019, the New Jersey Department of Labor and…
The Seventh Circuit held that a Wisconsin employer properly included certain pay differentials and incentive premiums in employees’ regular rate of pay before calculating the overtime premium under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and state law. It also…
Connecticut employers must include a wage or a good-faith wage range and a general description of benefits in public and internal job postings under Public Act 26-12, signed by Gov. Ned Lamont on May 11, 2026. The requirement takes effect…
Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed HB 4844, requiring Illinois employers with more than 25 employees to pay workers their regular rate of pay for time serving on jury duty. The law takes effect Jan. 1, 2027. Before this law, Illinois already…
Field-based roles raise unique FLSA compliance questions, including whether an employer must pay for work tasks performed before or during the commute to the first job site. A recent DOL opinion letter addressed the issue. The question came from a…
