The Chicago Minimum Wage Ordinance was adopted at the end of 2014 to much fan fare because it raises the minimum wage requirements for all employees within the City of Chicago. The current rate schedule for minimum wage in Chicago is as follows: Effective Date Non-Tipped Employees Tipped Employees July 1, 2015 $10.00 $4.95 July 1, 2016 […]
Employers Can Make Up to 10% of Salary with Nondiscretionary Payments under the new FLSA Overtime Rules
While the updated salary requirements to be exempt from overtime are receiving all the headlines there were other important changes that will go into [WHEN] effect. One of those changes is a new rule that allows an employer to count non-discretionary payments towards the new $47,476.00 salary threshold. The rule caps this amount at [THE LESSER OF/GREATER […]
White Collar Exemption Salary Requirement More Than Doubled
The three White Collar Exemptions are by far the most common asserted by employers to avoid paying overtime. If an employer wants the apply the exemption to any employee, it must show that it pays the employee paid a minimum salary, and that the employee meets the particular duties test. The most common duties tests are as follows: […]
A Lawsuit Has Been Filed Challenging The New Alabama Law That Bans Local Governments From Raising The Local Minimum Wage
A group of workers in Birmingham Alabama have challenged a new state law which prohibits local governments, specifically the City of Birmingham, from raising their minimum wages. Birmingham sought to raise its minimum wage to $10.10 per hour by next year in an effort to fight income inequality. Birmingham is about 74% African-American. Plaintiffs assert that […]
Amendments to The FLSA
The Department of Labor has made the decision to amend the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), intending to update sections of the FSLA that deal with wages and overtime, making this the first update to the federal wage law since 2004. According to the DOL, this update to the FSLA is necessary in order to bring federal wage […]
CLASS ACTIONS CAN NO LONGER BE “BOUGHT OFF”
The Class action lawsuit, along with the Collective Action lawsuit used in FLSA overtime and wage cases, are critical tools for individuals to be able to vindicate their rights. By taking a small amount of money from a lot of people, a company can make a huge financial difference to its bottom line, without creating […]
Exempt Employees And The Federal Overtime Law
What Is An Exempt Employee? Most employers are required to pay their employees overtime, according to federal and state laws, however, these laws often times contain exceptions, meaning that some employees are not qualified to receive overtime pay and are considered “exempt” employees. Businesses that have more than $500,000 in sales each year or is considered […]
Tips For Addressing Your Concerns With Your Employer
Most companies have a process in which an employee must follow when he or she has a workplace concern. Typically, the first person that your concern must be addressed to is your direct supervisor. While many people feel comfortable speaking with their supervisor, many others may not, especially when it comes to addressing concerns like workplace […]
What Is Wage Theft?
This common workplace issue is increasingly becoming a problem for employees everywhere. Wage theft may occur when an employee does not receive the incorrect pay or may not be receiving their pay at all. No matter the situation, there is something that can be done about it. What Is Wage Theft? Wage theft is defined as the […]
Are You A Victim Of Wage Theft?
Wage theft has once only thought to be something that affects low-wage service employees. This workplace issue, however, has now become a common issue for working Americans everywhere. Wage theft can mean that an employee is not receiving the correct wages, not receiving their overtime pay, or even not receiving their pay at all. Understanding Wage […]