Last month, the United States Supreme Court dismissed an overtime case filed by an employee, Laura Symczyk, against her former employer, Genesis Healthcare Corporation. Ms. Symczyk filed the case as a collective action on behalf of herself and other similarly situated employees who were not paid for all of the…
Articles Posted in Wage & Hour Law
Reducing Employee Hours in Response to Overtime Lawsuit Can Be Retaliatory
New Jersey’s Appellate Division recently recognized it can be unlawful for a company to reduce employees’ overtime hours in response to an overtime lawsuit. Specifically, the case finds that such a policy could violate New Jersey’s whistleblower law, the Conscientious Employee Protection Act (CEPA). Howard Flecker III worked as a…
What Compensation Is an Employee Entitled to if His Employer Was Affected By Hurricane Sandy?
As a result of Hurricane Sandy, many businesses in New York and New Jersey had to stop their operations for a considerable period of time. Now that many employees are returning back to work, they are asking whether they should be paid for the days when their offices were closed…
The Third Circuit Holds Parent Company Not Responsible For Wholly-Owned Subsidiary’s Overtime Violations
The Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit was recently asked if a parent company is responsible for overtime violations committed by its subsidiary. The lawsuit, In re Enterprise Rent-A-Car Wage & Hour Employment Practices Litigation, was brought by a group of assistant branch managers who worked for various locations…
Supreme Court Rules Pharmaceutical Sales Representatives Not Entitled to Overtime Pay
Last month, the United States Supreme Court ruled that sales representatives working for pharmaceutical companies are not entitled to receive overtime pay under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The FLSA is a federal law that requires companies to pay employees most of their employees overtime at the rate of…
Novartis Settles Class Action Overtime Lawsuit for $99 Million
Earlier this year, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation agreed to a $99 million settlement of a class action overtime lawsuit brought by its sales representatives. The settlement is still subject to final approval by a judge. A final hearing to approve the settlement is scheduled for May 31, 2012. Novartis, an affiliate…
New Jersey Judge Refuses to Seal Settlement Agreement in Overtime Lawsuit
Earlier this year, a New Jersey Judge refused to file the terms of a settlement agreement in an overtime lawsuit under seal. Specifically, Judge Jose L. Linares of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey ruled the employer had not overcome the strong presumption of public…
New York Employees Can Prove Overtime Claim Even if They Falsely Recorded Working No Overtime
The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit Court recently ruled that an employee who follows his supervisor’s instruction to falsely report that he did not work any overtime hours still can pursue an overtime claim. It reversed a decision from the Western District of New York, which…
U.S. Supreme Court Rules FLSA Forbids Retaliation Against Employees Who Make Oral Complaints
On March 22, 2011, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (“FLSA”) prohibits employers from retaliating against employees who make oral complaints about violations of the FLSA. The FLSA is a federal law that sets minimum wages, maximum hours, and overtime pay requirements.…
Minor League Yankees Play Hardball with Mascot’s Overtime Pay
Last Wednesday, a mascot who worked for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees minor league team filed a federal lawsuit claiming the team violated the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”) and state law because it failed to pay him for his overtime hours. Specifically, Brian Bonnor’s lawsuit alleges the team improperly designated him…