Like most addictions, the addiction to arbitration is expensive. Often touted by defense lawyers and business advocates as a less expensive, more efficient alternative to the court system, arbitration is neither. Arbitration is a money pit for employers and particularly more expensive for employers defending themselves against wage and overtime claims. If you do not believe me (yes, I am a plaintiff’s lawyer), just ask Uber or any other number of employers who thought arbitration …

As of July 1, 2019, Employers in Minnesota are now required to follow civil provisions in Minnesota’s Wage Theft Statute. We previously wrote about Minnesota’s new Wage Law here. While these changes only impact workers in the state of Minnesota, it is critical for all employees to understand the changes that have been brought on by these new regulations. Changes to Required Language on Wage Notices Language in Minnesota concerning an “employment agreement” has been…

The State of Texas does not require private employers to provide paid sick leave to any employee. In three Texas cities, however, recent ordinances have been passed that will require almost all employers with employees in the cities of Austin, Dallas, or San Antonio to provide paid sick leave. While many anticipated that the Texas legislature would pass legislation that prohibited these ordinances, the legislature failed to do so. Instead, the legislature became distracted by…

Minnesota’s legislature recently passed the Jobs and Economic Development Omnibus Bill, which became effective as of July 1, 2019. The bill alters existing state laws and creates both civil and criminal penalties for wage theft in addition to establishing new record keeping requirements for employers. Changes Brought on by New Bill Minnesota’s new law makes it an offense to commit wage theft, which is classified as engaging in any of the following offenses with…

One of the most hotly debated issues in wage and hour law is what constitutes a “living wage.” Depending on who you ask, you are likely to get a very different answer. While the minimum wage in the United States is $7.25 an hour, some states, as well as some corporations, are experimenting with paying workers a much higher minimum wage. A “Living Wage” Based on federal guidelines, a two-person household in the United States…

In the beginning of June 2019, the governor of Alabama signed legislation to combat gender-based wage discrimination which will become effective on September 1, 2019. With the enactment of this legislation, Alabama will join several other states including California, Colorado, Maryland, and Massachusetts which have new equal pay laws designed to combat gender-based wage discrimination. Despite this recent change in law, however, it is still important for workers to understand how to combat pay disparity…

Each year millions of workers throughout the county are victims of wage theft. To combat wage theft, several states have passed legislation that supplement federal law to strengthen workers’ rights and prevent wage theft. Most recently, the states of Colorado and Minnesota passed legislation that will create harsh criminal penalties for employers who fail to pay employees proper wages. In order to ensure you are not a victim of wage theft, it is critical for…