Wage Hour Law
DOL/DOT Trucking Initiative – Posted March 29, 2022
The Biden-Harris Administration has announced a new initiative in which the Department of Labor and the Department of Transportation are working together to address workforce challenges in the trucking industry, including high turnover rates, long hours away from home, time spent waiting–often unpaid–to load and unload at congested ports, warehouses, and distribution centers, and predatory…
Read MoreRemembering Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
On Friday, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away at 87. She was a champion of women’s rights and stood up for the American worker. Her legacy of scathing dissents – including the 2018 dissent in Lewis v. Epic Systems, a decision which has now left us with forced arbitrations – will be remembered…
Read MoreHistory of Labor Day
“We believe hard work nourishes the soul and should nourish the body and support the family as well. We believe every one of us has an equal claim to the prosperity of America. And that it’s our job to ensure a better life for the generations that come after us.”—John Sweeney, Former President of the…
Read MoreMisclassification – Posted August 4, 2020
Workers in many fields are misclassified as independent contractors, when by law, they are really employees who would be entitled to minimum wage, overtime at the rate of time and one half, and would be entitled to have the employer bear the cost of work related expenses. By misclassifying workers, employers deny their workers the…
Read MoreGig Economy Updates – Posted July 17, 2020
As workers throughout the country are laid off as a result of the coronavirus, they are increasingly turning to gig work to make ends meet. Companies like InstaCart and Postmates have seen a surge in new workers. Online platforms, like Fiverr and UpWork, which allow people in different industries to sell their skills, have also…
Read MoreCoronavirus Challenges for Workers
The coronavirus has presented a number of challenges to workers around the world. From temporary layoffs, to working from home, the workforce has had to adapt to keep everyone safe. But are employers playing fair, or are they using these extenuating circumstances to exploit workers? One of the potential violations we may see going forward…
Read MoreHome Health Aides during Covid
Home health aides are some of the many healthcare providers who have been hard-hit during the Covid-19 pandemic. Home health aides (HHAs) provide care for the elderly and infirm, working up to 24 hours in a shift, usually earning only the minimum wage. And HHAs in New York typically aren’t paid for the full 24…
Read MoreSupreme Court Rules to Protect LGBTQ+ Employees from Discrimination
In a major victory for gay, lesbian, and transgender workers, on June 15 the Supreme Court ruled that the 1964 Civil Rights Act protects LGBTQ+ employees from discrimination. Nearly half of states in the US currently lack protections for the LGBTQ community, and the new ruling guarantees them federal protection. The decision came after three…
Read MoreEnforcing California’s Assembly Bill 5
We posted back in June of 2019 about the Dynamex case in California—now the California Attorney General and a coalition of city attorneys are suing Uber and Lyft, arguing that the rideshare companies continue to misclassify their drivers as independent contractors instead of employees, flouting the law. Assembly Bill 5 went into effect on January…
Read MoreWestern Express Case Update
On April 10, 2020 Judge Campbell issued an order denying the Defendants’ Partial Motions to Dismiss. The Court found that all of Plaintiffs’ claims in issue had “facial plausibility” because “the plaintiff plead[ed] facts that allow[ed] the court to draw the reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged.” The Court’s decision…
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