Before the election the Department of Labor asked the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals to expedite its appeal regarding the validity of the DOL’s Final Rule, which increased the salary level for the white collar exemptions. Earlier this week, however, following the inauguration of President Trump, the Department of Labor made the opposite request, asking … Continue Reading
Earlier today, the Department of Labor filed an unopposed motion to extend the deadline for its next submission in support of its appeal of the salary basis rule injunction. The motion for extension requested until March 2, 2017 to submit the Department’s reply brief to the Fifth Circuit, and expressly stated that the extra time … Continue Reading
Overtime claims based on alleged “off the clock” work often turn on the question of whether the employer has “suffered or permitted” the employee to work uncompensated hours in excess of forty in the workweek. The Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has affirmed a Mississippi district court’s finding that an employer did not … Continue Reading
Attempting to provide clarity to a subject that is a regular source of litigation, the Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has issued an extended, detailed analysis addressing the circumstances under which an employee’s position is “customarily and regularly” tipped for purposes of participating in a valid tip pool under 29 U.S.C. § 203(m). … Continue Reading
In 2012, the Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit held that union members who worked on a film shoot and later brought FLSA claims subsequently waived those claims through a private agreement between their union and the production company. Martin v. Spring Break ’83 Productions, L.L.C., 688 F.3d 247 (5th Cir. 2012). On Monday, … Continue Reading
The judicially-devised “economic realities” test is designed to determine whether an individual is liable as an “employer” under the FLSA, typically in addition to a corporate entity. For the second time in the past few years, the Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has ruled that a franchisor was not the “employer of an … Continue Reading
Last week, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed the holding of a Texas district court that “an unsubstantiated and speculative estimate of uncompensated overtime does not constitute evidence sufficient to show the amount and extent of that work as a matter of just and reasonable inference.” Ihegword v. Harris County … Continue Reading
In a decision issued on August 16, 2013, the Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, building on its now-venerable ruling in Blackmon v. Brookshire Grocery Co., 835 F.2d 1135 (5th Cir. 1988), reversed a trial court ruling that refused to apply the “half time” measure of damages in an FLSA misclassification case. Ransom v. M. … Continue Reading
The FLSA’s “outside sales” exemption from minimum wage and overtime is among the more straightforward exemptions, in that it contains only two requirements: that the employee be “customarily and regularly” away from the employer’s place of business; and that the employee primarily be engaged in making sales. This simple-sounding test does not preclude disputes regarding its … Continue Reading
The Department of Labor often challenges an employer’s independent contractor classification, even when such classification is a matter of long-standing, industry practice. Such disagreements can result in DOL audits or even DOL litigation seeking alleged unpaid minimum wage and overtime, as well as private enforcement actions. In a recent victory for employers involving litigation brought by … Continue Reading
For years, the conventional wisdom among FLSA practitioners has been that waiver of FLSA claims requires “supervision,” either from a court or the federal Department of Labor. This supervision requirement dates back to the seminal appellate case on the subject, Lynn’s Food Stores, Inc. v. United States, 679 F.2d 1350 (11th Cir. 1982). Since Lynn’s Food was … Continue Reading
As discussed here, here and here, the issue of independent contractor classification under wage, unemployment, tax and other laws is omnipresent, continuing to arise in litigation and legislative reform. In a rare victory for employers in this regard, this week the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals (encompassing Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi) affirmed a district court’s decision … Continue Reading
In general, when calculating the regular rate of pay for purposes of determining overtime under the FLSA, all remuneration must be included. This rule is subject to certain limited exceptions for, inter alia, discretionary bonuses and reimbursement of legitimate expenses. But, if an employer decides to provide an hourly “per diem” and classify it as … Continue Reading
