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FLSA

Make the independent contractor vs. employee decision before you bring person on board

02/22/2011
Make sure you make the employee-or-contractor call before you hire an employee. Don’t assume you can make the designation later. That usually won’t work. And you probably won’t even discover the problem until it’s too late to fix it—when a terminated worker files an overtime lawsuit.

How can I discipline exempt staff for poor work?

02/15/2011
Q. After the holidays, our hourly employees returned to pre-holiday productivity. But our exempt employees didn’t. What can I do since their salaries aren’t dependent on how many hours they work?

Florida sued over floating minimum wage calculations

02/14/2011
In 2004, state voters approved linking the minimum wage to inflation. All went well for a few years, but now a lawsuit says the state got the math wrong two years ago.

Tampa investigation leads to multistate overtime settlement

02/14/2011
When U.S. Department of Labor investigators first looked into ready-mix cement truck drivers’ complaints in Tampa, they didn’t know the investigation would lead to a $1.5 million recovery for CEMEX employees in eight states.

What’s this I hear about a partnership between the government and the ABA to help employees sue?

02/11/2011
Q. I’ve heard that employees may soon be getting free legal services to sue employers. Is this true?

Follow federal FLSA rules to pay for ‘donning & doffing’

02/09/2011
Good news for Minnesota employers that have been worried about how to pay employees for the time they spend putting on and taking off protective clothing before and after their shifts: Paying overtime as required by federal law generally means no additional payment is due under Minnesota law.

Make sure employees record all hours they work

02/09/2011
Do you have an hourly employee who seems to be getting a tremendous amount of work done? Make sure she isn’t skipping breaks.

Think your employees are weird? Get a load of these guys!

02/08/2011
If you think your employees can be an odd bunch, rest assured they’re probably not the weirdest of the weird. The working world is a strange and wondrous place, thanks to the colorful characters that inhabit it. Here are three good examples.

Avoiding pay complaints: 5 smart strategies

02/08/2011
The key to complying with the FLSA lies in accurate record-keeping. How you track hours is largely up to you, but you must beware several factors that can compromise wage-and-hour compliance. Here are five key strategies to help make sure you stay on the right side of the law.

Humble drilling company to pay $580,000 in back OT

02/07/2011
Unit Texas Drilling has settled a DOL lawsuit that claimed the company stiffed 824 drillers, derrickmen and floor hands out of overtime wages they should have received. Now the company, based in Humble, will make good on its obligations under the FLSA—a total of $579,910.