Wage & Hour

Expert Analysis

• Eye On Compliance: Joint Employment

  

  Madonna Herman at Wilson Elser breaks down the key job conditions that led to a recent National Labor Relations Board finding of joint employment, and explains the similar standard established under California case law — providing a guide for companies that want to minimize liability when relying on temporary and contract workers.

• How Unions Could Stem Possible Wave Of Calif. PAGA Claims

  

  Should the California Supreme Court hold in Adolph v. Uber that the nonindividual portions of Private Attorneys General Act claims survive even after individual claims go to arbitration, employers and unions could both leverage the holding in Oswald v. Murray to stifle the resurgence in representative suits, say attorneys at Greenberg Traurig.

• Tips For Defending Employee Plaintiff Depositions

  Excerpt from Practical Guidance

  

  A plaintiff cannot win their employment case through a good deposition, but they can certainly lose it with a bad one, so an attorney should take steps to make sure the plaintiff does as little damage as possible to their claim, says Preston Satchell at LexisNexis.

• Predictions On Salary Levels In Proposed DOL Overtime Rule

  

  In May, the U.S. Department of Labor is expected to propose new salary thresholds for overtime exemptions for both executive, administrative and professional employees and highly compensated earners under the Fair Labor Standards Act, and based on methodologies used in recent DOL rules, it will likely increase both thresholds, says Stephen Bronars at Edgeworth.

• Water Cooler Talk: Whistleblowing Insights From 'Dahmer'

  

  Tracey Diamond and Evan Gibbs at Troutman Pepper chat with DS Smith's Josh Burnette about how the show "Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story" provides an extreme example of the perils of ignoring repeat complaints — a lesson employers could apply in the whistleblower context.

• Retail Employer Strategies For LA Fair Work Week Ordinance

  

  The recently effective Los Angeles Fair Work Week Ordinance changes how employers in the retail trade industry approach scheduling and hiring employees, so they should consider creating new standardized forms and procedures to maintain compliance and avoid penalties, say Thomas Petrides and Charlie Wang at Vedder Price.

• AI For Advancing Diversity In The Workplace: Friend Or Foe?

  

  In the wake of calls for increased workplace diversity, employers are turning to artificial intelligence to automate hiring and cut costs to reach environmental, social and governance objectives, but this technology requires human oversight to minimize biases and discrimination, say Consuela Pinto and Dawn Siler-Nixon at FordHarrison.

• Handbook Hot Topics: Attendance Policies

  

  Employee attendance problems are among the most common reasons for disciplinary action and discharge, which is why a clear policy neatly laid out in an employee handbook is necessary to articulate expectations for workers and support an employer's position should any attendance-related disputes arise, says Kara Shea at Butler Snow.

• Noncompete Ban Is Key To Empowering Low-Wage Workers

  

  The Federal Trade Commission's proposed ban on noncompete clauses is needed because limitations alone have very little practical value to low-wage workers, who will continue to be hurt by the mere existence of these clauses unless they are outlawed, says Brendan Lynch at Community Legal Services of Philadelphia.

• Top 5 Issues For Employers If Their Bank Suddenly Fails

  

  The sudden closure of a bank can create a host of ripple effects, and if such a liquidity crisis occurs, employers should prioritize fulfilling their payroll obligations, as failing to do so could subject employers and even certain company personnel to substantial penalties, say attorneys at Manatt.

• Prepare Now To Comply With NJ Temp Worker Law

  

  New Jersey temporary staffing firms and their clients must prepare now for the time-consuming compliance requirements created by the controversial new Temporary Laborers' Bill of Rights, or face steep penalties when the law's strict wage, benefit and record-keeping rules go live in May and August, say attorneys at Duane Morris.

• Employment-Related Litigation Risks Facing Hospitality Cos.

  

  A close look at recent hospitality industry employment claims highlights key issues companies should keep an eye out for, and insurance policy considerations for managing risk related to wage and hour, privacy, and human trafficking claims, say Jan Larson and Huiyi Chen at Jenner & Block.

• Acquiring A Company That Uses A Professional Employer Org.

  

  With the professional employer organization industry rapidly expanding, those seeking to acquire a company that uses a PEO should understand there are several employment- and benefits-related complexities, especially in regard to retirement, health and welfare plans, say Megan Monson and Taryn Cannataro at Lowenstein Sandler.