Wage and Hour Claims

Reports indicate that the restaurant chain, TGI Fridays has agreed to settle a wage and hour class action suit for $19.1 million. The lawsuit asserts that the chain underpaid many of its employees in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) for many years. Included in the settlement are bussers, wait staff, runners and…

Recently Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed announced that the City of Atlanta will be increasing the minimum wage paid to city employees to $15/hour. This increase is a positive step in providing a livable wage to city employees. Studies have shown that increasing minimum wage also has a positive impact on local economies, with workers putting the…

With several high profile cases recently challenging the practice of using unpaid interns, many industries and companies have adjusted how they compensated interns and the work duties assigned to interns if they are to remain unpaid. One industry still struggling with finding the right balance is the restaurant industry, especially when it comes to training…

A collective action brought by Minor League Baseball (“MILB”) players is currently pending seeking back wages and damages for violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”).   The FLSA provides certain guarantees, such as that workers be paid at least federal minimum wage, and that non-exempt workers earn overtime pay at a rate of one…

Recently one of Georgia’s congressional candidates stated that she does not “support a living wage.” Many states and local governments have enacted measures increasing the minimum wage to reflect a “living wage”, often established at $15/hour. A living wage is considered a wage that is high enough to maintain a “normal” standard of living. The…

As the passage and implementation of federal regulations benefiting workers has slowed, many states and localities are looking inward to determine what changes can be made at a local level. Two increasingly common efforts include campaigns to raise the minimum wage and efforts to enact equal pay legislation. Minimum wage efforts, such as Atlanta’s Fight for 15,…

Employment news reports that the Department of Justice (DOJ) has requested that the final determination concerning the implementation of the new overtime rule be delayed until the end of June.  Now, the DOJ will have until June 30, 2017 to file its brief concerning the rule.   The new overtime provisions would raise the salary threshold pursuant…

The number of wage and hour claims filed over the last several years has significantly increased.  The majority of these claims have concerned the improper classification of employees – whether identifying a non-exempt employee as exempt (thereby denying an employee of deserved overtime), or classifying an employee as an independent contractor (thereby denying a worker…