Reviving a security guard’s claim for overtime pay, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals recently reiterated that employers may not pay employees an artificially low regular rate of pay to avoid paying the proper amount of overtime. Thompson v. Regions Sec. Servs., Inc., 67 F.4th 1301 (11th Cir. 2023). The Eleventh Circuit oversees the
Wage and Hour
Department of Labor Sets August 2023 as Current Anticipated Release Date for Proposed Overtime Rule
According to the latest report from the U.S Department of Labor (DOL) regarding its regulatory agenda, released this week, the DOL has now set the publication of the new proposed Overtime Rule for August 2023. However, given the current status of the President’s nominees for both the Secretary of Labor and the Wage and Hour…
Dismissal Without Prejudice of Named Plaintiff’s FLSA Claims Does Not Toll Limitations Period for Such Claims, Eleventh Circuit Holds
A named plaintiff who files a collective action for overtime pay under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), and whose individual claims are dismissed without prejudice because the district court lacks jurisdiction over the plaintiff’s former employer, is not entitled to tolling of the statute of limitations of those claims. Therefore, when the plaintiff subsequently…
U.S. Department of Labor Further Delays Release of Independent Contractor Final Rule
In a June 9, 2023 filing with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) stated that its Independent Contractor (IC) Final Rule, addressing the standard for determining whether a worker is an employee or “independent contractor” under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), will not be ready…
PTO Deductions Are Not “Salary” Under the FLSA, Third Circuit Holds
In an issue of first impression, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit held that paid time off (“PTO”) is not a form of salary under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”) and, therefore, deductions from a salaried employee’s PTO balance do not violate the Act. Higgins v. Bayada Home Health Care Inc.…
DOL Issues Internal Guidance on Telework Under the FLSA & FMLA
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has issued guidance on the application of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to employees who telework from home or from another location away from the employer’s facility. Field Assistance Bulletin (FAB) 2023-1, released on February 9, 2023, is directed to agency…
Labor Secretary Walsh Expected to Leave DOL for NHL
Although not yet officially announced, Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh is expected to leave the Biden Administration soon, to become the Executive Director of the National Hockey League (NHL) Players Association. Secretary Walsh has served as the head of the Department of Labor (DOL) since the beginning of the Biden Administration in 2021.
During Secretary…
White House Re-Nominates Acting DOL Wage & Hour Administrator to Lead Division
On January 23, 2023, President Biden re-nominated Jessica Looman to formally become the next Director of the Wage and Hour Division (WHD) of the Department of Labor (DOL). Ms. Looman originally was nominated for the position in August 2022 and made it out of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions in late…
Pandemic-Related Wage and Hour Claims a Focus of JL’s Latest Class Action Trends Report
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, thousands of pandemic-related lawsuits, including hundreds of putative class or collective actions, have been filed — and the number continues to grow. A large percentage of those lawsuits involve wage and hour claims, centered around issues including, but not limited to, failure to pay for pre-work COVID-19 screening and testing…
DOL Issues 15-Day Extension of Comment Deadline for Proposed Independent Contractor Rule
On October 13, 2022, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), seeking to revise the standard for determining whether a worker is an employee or “independent contractor” under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The NPRM proposes to withdraw the current regulations, issued during the last days of…