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Wages & Hours

Don’t dock hours from salaried employee’s pay

12/01/2006

Q. We have a salaried employee who holds down a second job. Sometimes, she leaves early on Fridays and comes in late on Mondays because the second job overlaps with our office hours. Can we deduct anything from her pay after she has used up her vacation and leave time? Or do we have to pay her even though she leaves early and comes in late? —D.J., Virginia

Pay travel expenses for new, longer commute?

12/01/2006

Q. One of our employees normally reports to a facility. But he’s out on workers’ comp and is doing light duty in the office, which is an extra hour of commuting time. I know we don’t have to pay for his commuting time, but what about his travel expenses? —M.T., Massachusetts

Unpaid helper or official employee? Beware blurry line

12/01/2006

If you allow someone to perform work yet you never officially hire the person, don’t think you can avoid paying by calling her a volunteer. She’s your employee and must earn at least minimum wage …

Oral promise of extra pay is as binding as contract

12/01/2006

In Georgia, employers that promise to pay a bonus, commission or other extra compensation to employees had better be prepared to follow through. Even though those promises aren’t in writing, employees may be likely to hold you to any supervisor’s spoken promises …

Paying more for unskilled labor? You’re not alone

12/01/2006

By now, you’ve adjusted your labor budget to accommodate New Jersey’s new minimum wage of $7.15 per hour, which took effect Oct. 1. Rest assured, you’re not alone …

Court Ruling May Ease Threat of Class-Action FLSA Suits

12/01/2006

In recent years, employers have faced an onslaught of Fair Labor Standards Act class-action lawsuits over allegedly unpaid overtime. Now, a second district court in the 3rd Circuit has dismissed combined state and federal overtime class-action lawsuits …

Must you pay workers for time spent learning English?

12/01/2006

If you have non-English speaking employees, you may be making efforts to help improve their language skills. But in which cases must you pay employees for that training time? …

You can be held personally liable for wage payment errors

12/01/2006

If you’re a decision-maker in your organization and exercise that power to withhold wages from an employee, you could find yourself personally liable to that employee if you get it wrong …

Williamhouse settles pay-Bias lawsuit with three employees

12/01/2006

Envelope-maker Williamhouse of Pennsylvania settled a lawsuit with three supervisors who claimed they were underpaid because they are black …

Navigating Pennsylvania’s new minimum wage law

12/01/2006

For many Pennsylvania employers, the state’s new minimum wage law taking effect Jan. 1, 2007, is straightforward: It raises the minimum wage they must pay employees to $6.25 per hour from the current federally mandated rate of $5.15. The law, however, has numerous loopholes that you need to know about …