Though the USDOL’s new rule regarding overtime-eligibility for home care workers is currently in force, pending appeal, litigation continues over the prior rule. A new appellate ruling addresses the scope of the term “private home” for purposes of the prior rule, clarifying that the former exemption applies to caregiver work in the private homes
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California Federal Court: Cosmetology and Hair Design Students Not “Employees” Entitled to Minimum Wage
Joining decisions from other parts of the country, a California federal judge has held that former cosmetology and “hair design” students were not “employees” under the Fair Labor Standards Act or the wage-and-hour laws of California and Nevada entitled to minimum wage. Benjamin v. B & H Education, Inc., et al., 2015 U.S.…
USDOL Issues Administrative Interpretation Reflecting Administration’s View Of “Independent Contractor” Analysis Under FLSA
As previously promised, the Department of Labor today issued its eighth Administrator’s Interpretation (“AI”) since the 2010 implementation of this form of guidance. Today’s Interpretation, as expected, reflects the current Department’s position that the governing analysis is the economic realities test which, in the Department’s view, is used to determine “whether the worker…
Nevada Supreme Court: Exotic Dancers Are Employees Under State’s Law
In a setback for that state’s thriving adult entertainment business, the Nevada Supreme Court yesterday ruled that Sapphire Gentleman’s Club improperly classified its 6000+ semi-nude performers as independent contractors rather than employees under Nevada’s minimum wage law. Terry et al. v. Sapphire Gentlemen’s Club et al., case number 59214, 10/30/14.
The Nevada court, citing…
New Jersey Court Finds Beauty School Students Not “Employees”
A development in the ongoing litigation regarding the scope of the term “employee” for purposes of the Fair Labor Standards Act involves a rash of cases filed against beauty schools. In these cases, students who provide services to customers as part of their training allege they should be compensated for such work. A New Jersey…
Federal Appeals Court Affirms Ruling That Public Sector Union President Was “Volunteer” Outside Protection Of FLSA
Courts continue to wrestle with claims brought by individuals treated by businesses as outside the scope of the FLSA’s minimum wage and overtime requirements. Many of these claims are asserted by individuals classified as volunteers and of course interns, all claiming to be employees entitled to the protections of the FLSA. In one such…
Volunteer Firefighter Not “Employee” Under the FLSA
As litigation over the alleged “employee” status of unpaid interns continues, employers and courts continue to analyze whether other service providers are “employees” under the FLSA who must receive minimum wage and overtime for hours in excess of 40. Consistent with the Sixth Circuit’s employer-friendly ruling on a similar issue, the Court of Appeals…
Maryland Judge Finds Question of Fact As To Whether Employer Provided Proper Notice of Tip Credit
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…
Reminder: The Perils of Interns
Since the Fair Labor Standards Act contains no provision contemplating the concept of the unpaid intern, employers often find themselves defending their decision to classify someone who provides services to the company as being outside the protections afforded “employees” under the statute. Such a defense can be challenging, although one vocational school in Tennessee succeeded…
Governor Brown Signs California’s Independent Contractor Misclassification Legislation Into Law
California Governor Jerry Brown recently signed the new law regarding “willful” misclassification of independent contractors under the California Labor Code summarized previously. Further details regarding the enactment of this new law are available at the Jackson Lewis California Workplace Law Blog here.