Archive for 2018
Have You Experienced Pregnancy Discrimination?
Employment news reports that retail giant Walmart is facing a potential class-action lawsuit on the basis of pregnancy discrimination. Unfortunately, incidents of pregnancy discrimination have been reported across the United States at some of the largest employers in the country. In fact, the number of pregnancy discrimination claims has steadily risen over the last 20…
Read MoreDepartment of Labor Issues Two New Opinion Letters
The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) sets forth the basic federal wage and hour laws. These laws provide numerous areas of guidance, including that workers must be paid minimum wage and that in general, all non-exempt workers must be paid overtime for hours worked in excess of 40 hours in any work week. However, the…
Read MoreEmployment Discrimination Claims on the Rise
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has just released its statistics for 2018 revealing that it has recovered $505 million and other relief for more than 67,860 victims of discrimination in the workplace. Types of discrimination vary, but include Title VII claims such as race, gender and religious discrimination. Retaliation claims where workers endure negative…
Read MoreDetermining Compensable Hours Crucial to Determining Rightful Pay
The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) provides that all workers must be paid at least minimum wage. Currently, federal minimum wage is set at $7.25/hour. Violations of this provision are not always obvious as, for example, a miscalculation such as paying you for 7 hours worked when you worked 8. Often, the challenges come in…
Read MoreHospitality Industry Responsible for Highest Number of Wage and Hour Claims
Restaurant workers have filed an increasing number of wage and hour complaints based on potential Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) violations. Statistics show more than 7000 wage and hour claims were filed in 2017 in the hospitality industry, more than nine times any other industry. The most common violations occur in the following situations: Failing…
Read MoreWhat rules apply when employers make “extra” payments to exempt employees?
As the year ends, many exempt employees may earn additional compensation on top of their salaries. This may include bonuses, commissions or percentages of a company’s profits. These payments are often expected and are warranted. Further, these payments are proper pursuant to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which provides that certain workers may be…
Read MoreTransgender Rights At Risk
On Friday, the Trump administration made the unusual request of asking the Supreme Court to rule on whether transgender individuals should be allowed in the military. This request would side step legal procedure as several federal appeals courts are still reviewing the issue. Usually, the Supreme Court does not review matters until there is an…
Read MoreWill Supreme Court evaluate whether a transgender woman can sue for job discrimination?
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects against various forms of discrimination including sex, religion, gender and national origin. Whether it protects against sexual orientation discrimination is unsettled, with differing appellate court decisions. In an advisory opinion the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has argued that sexual discrimination extends to and includes sexual…
Read MoreIs my employer required to pay me for work breaks?
Many employees have questions concerning their right to compensation during breaks – and when they are entitled to paid lunch and work breaks. Workers may feel disgruntled if they perceive co-workers are getting away with taking more breaks than they are – such as is common when some workers take smoke breaks and others don’t.…
Read MoreStatistics reveal higher wages and job growth in Atlanta
The latest jobs report from Georgia’s Department of Labor indicates growth for Atlanta, and higher wages for blue-collar workers. The DOL report states that Atlanta gained 1,900 jobs in September and the region has gained 24,500 more jobs, three times more than last year at this time. The new jobs added so far is three…
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