The New York Wage Board has voted in favor of a $15 minimum wage for fast food workers, which will be phased in over the next few years. The Board’s recommendation will now be submitted to the Commissioner of Labor, who can accept, reject or modify the Wage Board’s recommendations. …
The United States Department of Labor (DOL) issued its proposed rule changes to the so-called “white collar” exemptions to overtime pay on July 6, 2015. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which guarantees a minimum wage and overtime pay, contains an exemption to overtime pay for bona fide executive, administrative,…
The California-based Chinese food restaurant chain agreed to settle a collective action brought by 155 general managers for close to $3 million. In Kudo v. Panda Restaurant Group Inc. (09-cv-00712, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York), nationwide general managers claimed that they were improperly classified as exempt from…
Today, the New York State Department of Labor’s Acting Commissioner, Mario Musolino, announced that New York State will raise the minimum wage for all tipped workers in the hospitality industry to $7.50, effective December 31, 2015. The amount could be $8.50 in New York City should the New York State legislature enact…
A Hospitality Industry Wage Board convened in September 2014 by the New York State Commissioner of Labor to consider changes to the minimum wages paid to tipped employees has just issued its recommendations to the Commissioner of Labor for review. The public has until February 21, 2015 to submit comments…
Important changes to New York wage and hour law take effect today and in 2015. Minimum Wage: Today, the New York State Minimum Wage increases to $8.75, which is substantially higher than the current $7.25 minimum wage under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act. New York employers are required to…
On December 9, 2014, the United States Supreme Court decided that hourly warehouse workers who retrieved products from warehouse shelves and packaged them for delivery to Amazon.com customers were not required to be compensated for the time spent undergoing security screening at the end of the work day. Workers spent…
A group of exotic dancers, who sued New York City’s Rick’s Cabaret for retaining a portion of gratuities and failing to pay minimum wages under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act and New York Labor Law, were awarded preliminary damages of $10,866,035. Specifically, the court awarded unpaid minimum wages in…
Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and New York State Labor Law, employees who work more than forty (40) hours in a workweek are entitled to overtime pay unless they are considered exempt. An employee is considered exempt if they are paid a salary AND their duties satisfy the…
Earlier this week a New York federal judge tentatively approved a $450,000 settlement of an unpaid intern class action that was filed against Elite Model Management. The case, Davenport v. Elite Model Management Corp., 13-CV 01061, U.S. District Court, S.D.N.Y., was filed in February 2013 by a former Elite intern on behalf…