In a case involving an uncommon number of legal twists and turns, the State of Vermont has convinced a federal Judge to uphold its sovereign immunity from suit under the FLSA. Coniff v. Vermont, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 143494 (D. Vt. Sept. 30, 2013).
Generally speaking, states are immune from claims brought by private…
Revisiting a concept for the first time since 2009, a House of Representatives Sub-Committee recently conducted a hearing regarding the Working Families Flexibility Act (H.R. 1406). The Act, proposed on April 9, seeks to amend the FLSA to permit private sector employers to compensate employees for overtime work by providing compensatory time off (e.g., “comp time”)…
The overtime exemption applicable to "retail or service" employees codified at 29 USC § 207(i) has three requirements, as we have discussed in this space, and two of the requirements are readily met in many cases: the employee must receive time-and-one-half the minimum wage (currently $10.88/hour under federal law) for all hours worked inclusive of…
The FLSA’s tip credit provision codified at 29 U.S.C. § 203(m) requires employers to notify employees of any tip credit taken by their employer against minimum wages owed. Prior to the DOL’s notice regulations issued on May 5, 2011 (codified at 29 C.F.R. § 531.59(b)), which were themselves the subject of legal challenge, the form…
The FLSA and state law often both regulate the distribution of tips. See here. Under the FLSA, an employer can require all “customarily tipped employees” to pool tips generally or require a specific “customarily tipped employee” to share tips with another “customarily tipped employee.” Disputes often arise as to whether an employee is a “customarily…
