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Wages & Hours

Nurses settle wage-fixing complaint with Chicago hospitals

04/15/2010

In a case that could have a ripple effect in four other states, Illinois nurses have settled a lawsuit that claimed Chicago-area hospitals colluded to depress wages in violation of antitrust laws. Nurse Alliance, affiliated with the Service Employees International Union, has filed similar lawsuits against hospitals in Michigan, New York, Tennessee and Texas.

Employee doing more than one job? Make sure all fit FLSA exempt status

04/15/2010

In these hard economic times, lots of businesses are restructuring jobs to cut costs. Sometimes that involves assigning an employee to perform two very different kinds of work. If you find yourself asking exempt employees to double up like that, be careful not to run afoul of the Fair Labor Standards Act. Make sure that both jobs being performed fit into one of the exempt categories—though not necessarily the same one.

Can we reduce pay for exempt employee who will miss work for intermittent FMLA leave?

04/15/2010
Q. One of our salaried supervisors has informed us that he needs to take two hours off work each week for the next two months to undergo medical treatment. His physician has certified his illness as a “serious health condition” under the FMLA. May we reduce his pay for the time he will miss work, or are we required to continue to pay his full salary to retain his exempt status under the Fair Labor Standards Act?

Florence company to pay quarry workers for back overtime

04/15/2010
The U.S. Department of Labor has announced that Cobra Stone will pay its quarry workers $364,403 in overtime back wages. The Florence-based company, which produces natural stone for construction projects, will pay the back wages to 169 current and former employees.

Katrina cleanup workers get $1 million in back OT

04/15/2010

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division has settled a lawsuit against an Irving-based engineering and construction firm for failing to pay employees assigned to cleanup crews following Hurricane Katrina. The overtime award to the workers: $1 million. Under a consent judgment, Fluor Enterprises, which was the general contractor with FEMA, will pay 154 workers.

Understand the fine line between an exempt professional and nonexempt technician

04/15/2010
To save on overtime costs, employers often try to shoehorn employees into Fair Labor Standards Act exemptions. That can be a potentially devastating mistake. This square-peg-in-a-round-hole problem often occurs when employers try to fit employees into the FLSA’s professional exemption.

How to offer flex schedules to all workers

04/13/2010

Plenty of organizations offer flexible schedules, allow telework and let parents slip out early once in a while to catch a child’s soccer game. But in many workplaces, those benefits are perks that only managers and white-collar workers enjoy. Yet several studies show that when low-wage employees have some flexibility in their hours, teamwork improves and unscheduled absences abate. If your organization’s lower-wage employees are candidates for flex, consider these eight strategies.

Albany nurses could benefit from Chicago settlement

04/07/2010

In a case with implications for Albany-area nurses, Illinois nurses have settled a lawsuit that claimed Chicago-area hospitals colluded to depress wages in violation of antitrust laws. Nurse Alliance, affiliated with the Service Employees International Union, has filed a similar suit against Albany-area hospitals.

Can employee sue over alleged ‘promised’ pay?

04/06/2010
Q. We have an employee who insists that he was told when he was offered the job that he would earn at least as much as he earned in his last job. There is nothing in writing. Can he sue us?

Were Blackwater’s employee relations murky as well?

04/02/2010
Xe Services, the Moyock-based defense contractor formerly known as Blackwater, faces three lawsuits by former trainers who claim the company misclassified them as independent contractors. The suit seeks overtime pay.