Last week, the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) proposed an increase to the salary threshold required for executive, administrative and professional workers to qualify for overtime exemptions under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”). Currently, the minimum annual salary figure required to qualify for such “white collar” exemptions is $23,660; that number is now expected
Wage and Hour and Executive Compensation
Federal Court in Texas Holds That the Department of Labor’s Final Rule Changing the White Collar Exemptions Invalid
On August 31, 2017, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas (the “Court”) invalidated the United States Department of Labor’s (“DOL”) changes to the Fair Labor Standards Act’s (“FLSA”) overtime exemption rules (the “Final Rule”). The Final Rule was scheduled to go into effect on December 1, 2016 before the Court…
Second Circuit Holds That Parties May Not Voluntarily Settle Claims Under the Fair Labor Standards Act With Prejudice Without Judicial or Department of Labor Approval
In Cheeks v. Freeport Pancake House, Inc. et als., the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit held that parties may not privately settle claims arising under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”) with prejudice (which forecloses a future lawsuit), without court approval or United States Department of Labor (“DOL”) supervision. With…
Third Circuit Court of Appeals Applies an Exception to the Motor Carrier Exemption
On March 11, 2015, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals became the first Circuit Court to apply the “covered employee” provision of the SAFETEA-LU Technical Corrections Act of 2008 (the “Corrections Act”) to the Motor Carrier Act exemption of the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”). In McMaster v. Eastern Armored Services, Inc., No. 14-1010…
NJ Supreme Court Embraces Employee-Friendly Test for Determining Independent Contractor Status
In a unanimous opinion issued on January 14, 2015, the New Jersey Supreme Court determined that the “ABC test” governs whether an individual is an “employee” or an “independent contractor” entitled to the protections of New Jersey’s Wage Payment Law and Wage and Hour Law. See Hargrove v. Sleep’s, LLC, A-70-12 (Jan. 14, 2015)…