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Wages & Hours

Chang, Chung employees say cha-ching! after settlement

02/22/2019
Fourteen restaurants in the greater Los Angeles area will pay 100 employees a total of $126,142 after U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division investigations found violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Reimburse employees when they use their cars for company business

02/22/2019
Here’s a reminder that in California, employers are re­­spon­­sible for making sure workers are reimbursed for any expenses they incur while doing their jobs if the expenses benefit their employer.

Include travel time pay when figuring OT

02/22/2019
Do you have workers you pay a set amount for travel time from one location to another during the day? If so, that payment probably must be included in “hours worked” for calculating overtime payments for the week.

St. Paul’s $15 minimum wage will start phasing in July 1

02/22/2019
By July 1, 2022, the city government and large employers will have to pay workers $15 per hour. Small businesses will have until July 1, 2027 to hit that mark.

OT rule details could be revealed in March

02/21/2019
The Trump administration is signaling that rules setting a new white-collar overtime threshold are imminent.

Failure to pay overtime costs Queens hotels $750K

02/12/2019
The owners of three Queens hotels must pay $360,543 in back wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages after investigators from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division found 83 employees had been denied overtime pay.

OK to round hours if it favors employees

02/06/2019
Employers often round workers’ time up or down instead of calculating the exact number of minutes worked. That’s fine as long as, on average, the system works to employees’ benefit.

Docking pay for snow-day absences: When is it legal?

01/04/2019
The snow’s coming down pretty good and an exempt employee calls to say she can’t make it in today because her car is stuck. Can you deduct a full day’s pay from her salary for that missed day? What if she’s non-exempt? What if you close work because of bad weather? Here’s guidance—and a handy flowchart—to help you make the call.

New Year brings minimum wage changes for Minnesota employers

01/02/2019
Now is the time to review labor and employment laws that will affect Minnesota employers in 2019. The minimum wage has been raised by the state of Minnesota and in the Twin Cities.

Advise unemployment authorities if you are still paying commissions to former employee

01/02/2019
If a former employee is collecting on your unemployment account, be sure to let the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development know, so it can adjust the benefit amount.