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Walmart Employees Win $6 Million Judgement in Meal Break Lawsuit
April 15, 2019
On April 12, 2019, a California federal jury awarded $6 million to Walmart workers at a Chino, California warehouse who worked as “Associates” as far back as June 8, 2013. During meal breaks, Walmart required Associates to go through a lengthy “asset protection” process that included an anti-theft metal detector checkpoint if they wished to leave the warehouse at lunch. The process took so long that it would significantly cut into Associates’ 30-minute lunch breaks, and Associates [...]
U.S. House of Representatives Passes Paycheck Fairness Act to Attack Gender Pay Gap
April 09, 2019
The United States House of Representatives passed the proposed Paycheck Fairness Act (the “Bill”) to rid employees of sex-based pay differentials and make wage practices more transparent. The Bill adds several layers of procedural protections to the Equal Pay Act of 1963 (“EPA”) and requires employers to prove that any wage discrepancies are tied to legitimate business qualifications and not gender. Once finalized, the Bill will also prohibit employers from taking retaliatory [...]
DOL Proposes New Rule for Overtime Eligibility
March 08, 2019
On March 07, 2019, the United States Department of Labor (“DOL”) proposed to increase the salary threshold required for executive, administrative and professional (“EAP”) workers to qualify as exempt from overtime under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”). Once finalized, the DOL rule will convert more than one million workers – earning between $23,660 and $35,308 annually – to non-exempt status and thus eligible to receive overtime pay. Indeed, the DOL proposal [...]
EEOC Finds Increase in Discrimination Claims in 2018
November 26, 2018
In November, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) released its 2018 Performance Accountability Report which made public a large amount of data regarding the type of claims of discrimination that workers have brought against their employers in the 2018 fiscal year. Some key 2018 performance highlights include:. Beyond its impressive year on the litigation and enforcement front, the EEOC expanded its online inquiry and scheduling system to all EEOC offices. This expansion [...]
Congressional Democrats Fight for Workers’ Rights
October 31, 2018
On October 30, 2018, Congressmen Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) and Bobby Scott (D-VA) took a crucial step to combat employer’s use of arbitration agreements to restrict workers’ rights by introducing the Restore Justice for Workers Act (“Act”). The proposed legislation strives to open “the courthouse doors for workers by prohibiting the use of forced arbitration clauses in employment contracts and prohibiting employers from requiring employees to waive their right to engage in joint, [...]
