The US Department of Labor recently issued an opinion letter stating that workers finding work through a gig-economy platform are independent contractors, rather than employees. Earlier this week, I posted about that on LinkedIn. The DOL’s opinion letter is not law. It does provide excellent guidance on how the federal agency enforcing the Fair Labor […]
Can Federal Employees Sue the Government for Shutting Down?
I thought that might be an interesting question for this week. It’s not quite what it sounds like though, so let me explain. As you know, the federal government has been shut down since December 22, because our President and Congress can’t agree on a budget. But not all government agencies are entirely shut down. […]
30 Million Reasons Why Systems Administrators May Not Be Overtime-Exempt
Does your company have I.T. employees? Do you pay them a salary? That makes them computer professionals, right? So they’re probably exempt from federal and state overtime laws right? Well, hold on. The Computer Employee Exemption is, overall, poorly understood by employers — and even attorneys. Many employers get this one wrong. I’ve posted on […]
I Comp’ed My Employee. Why’s S/he Suing Me for Overtime?
You’re a fair employer. You pay your employees their wages every pay day. You compensate all your employees who put in a bit of extra time on the job. You might do so by giving them time off the next week. In weeks an employee doesn’t quite work the 40 hours, maybe you average the […]
Looks Like The Supreme Court Put the Brakes on Overtime for Auto Service Advisors
Employers under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) have to pay their workers for all time worked–except when you don’t. Wait. Employees can work and not be paid? Well, not exactly. Let’s do a quick review of the General Rule: You have to pay your workers for all hours they work. For hours 1-40 […]