Archive for the ‘State Labor Law’ Category

A federal judge has dismissed claims against the Church of Scientology by a (former?) member who alleges she was forced to work 100-hour weeks for no pay under a billion-year contract for the religion’s elite Sea Organization, according to a report in The Baltimore Sun. U.S. District Judge Dale Fischer issued a written order saying [...]

For the past few days, a few labor law poster companies (other than Personnel Concepts) have been issuing press releases and other types of communication stating that the Cal/OSHA poster "Safety and Health Protection on the Job" has changed and posting the updated version is mandatory. (Therefore, buy it from us, in other words.) However, [...]

The New York Department of Labor (NYDOL) has issued proposed new regulations, subject to a 45-day public commentary period, to clarify provisions of its statewide Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act. The New York WARN Act, which was revised at the beginning of 2009, sets different thresholds and notification periods that are more stringent than federal requirements. [...]

The federal version of the WARN (Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification) Act affects businesses with 100 or more employees and requires 60 days’ advance notice of layoffs (if they reach a certain level) and of company closings. In lieu of advance notice, the firm can pay 60 days’ wages and benefits on the day of discharge or [...]

Wild Edibles, a Long Island City, N.Y.-based wholesale seafood purveyor that was forced into bankruptcy in July 2009, has settled with a wage-earners’ group that led a successful boycott of the firm’s provisioning by 70 Manhattan restaurants. The boycott was orchestrated by the nonprofit group Brandworkers, which alleged overtime and wage-and-hour violations by Wild Edibles [...]

First Congress proposed a paid sick leave policy for all the nation’s businesses, but that initiative seems to have stalled behind some minor issues like health care reform and carbon transfers. Now Maine is getting into the act, and the proposal has state businesspeople up in arms, especially those who run small businesses. The bill [...]

Yesterday we reported on how the nomination of Craig Becker to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) had been returned to President Obama for reconsideration, giving him an opportunity to make a new appointment, reappoint Becker, or tender Becker a recess appointment good until the next election in 2010. Becker is controversial and opposed by [...]

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) dates to 1938 before the advent of pharmaceutical sales representatives (Coke in one variety or another sufficed for drugs back then–just kidding). However, a modern-day court battle is raging over whether PSRs are exempt from FLSA overtime rules. A Connecticut court held recently that they are not exempt since [...]

Nabbed again! Wal-Mart has agreed to fork over $40 million to employees past and present at its Massachusetts outlets after settling a 2001 lawsuit over abuse of time-card data, fudging on overtime and denying employees break time. Employees who worked at those locations from 1995 to the present will receive checks ranging from $400 to [...]

Not only are employment lawsuits on the rise, but so are victories for the employees in both court and the pocketbook. According to Jury Verdict Research, a tracking agency, employees prevailed over employers in 61 percent of all employment trials in 2008 and walked away with a median award of $326,640, up from $204,000 just [...]