Last week, Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division (WHD) Administrator Dr. David Weil, who we have profiled in the past, announced on the DOL’s blog that WHD recovered more than $240 million dollars from employers on behalf of workers during fiscal year 2014, which ended last September. This total was down about 4%
Automatic Meal Period Deductions and the FLSA [Wage and Hour FAQ]
As you know, under the FLSA, “bona fide meal periods” are not regarded as work time and can be unpaid. For a break to qualify as a bona fide meal period, “[t]he employee must be completely relieved from duty for purposes of eating regular meals,” and the break must generally be at least
IRS Announces Impending Tighter Enforcement of Employer-Provided Meals, Fringe Benefits
Internal Revenue Code § 119 allows employers to deduct 100% of the value of meals provided to employees when they are for the convenience of the employer, and they are furnished on the business premises of the employer. Meals provided for “the convenience of the employer” are also excludable from the employee’s taxable income. However
Six Days on the Road and I’m Gonna Park My Truck to Comply with State Laws Tonight
My apologies to Dave Dudley. The song “Six Days on the Road” just doesn’t stand up to the changes we would have to make after the Ninth Circuit’s decision that the state meal and rest break laws are not preempted by federal hours of service laws (though I’m pretty sure that, eyes open wide
Three Square Meals er…Breaks – Why You Should Never Round Breaks [Wage & Hour FAQ]
If an employee clocks in from lunch at 12:25, do you round that time to 12:30? Unlike the beginning and end of a workday, rounding meal breaksRecovering Money From Employees Without Violating the FLSA
On June 4, the U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division announced that a San Antonio-based car wash company has paid $246,438 in back wages to 308 employees following a DOL investigation. Among other things, the DOL found that the company had taken illegal deductions from employees paychecks for items including uniforms, insurance claims
Even Best Practices Can’t Always Ensure Quick Dismissal of Wage & Hour Claims
You’re a savvy employer. Your timekeeping policies are clear. Your employees know that they are required to report all of their work time. Employees sign off on their time records each week. You even provide a procedure for employees to confidentially report any improper actions by their supervisors. Your records are complete, organized, and show
When does the FLSA require pay for meal periods? [Wage & Hour FAQ]
Q. A company provides employees with a 30-minute unpaid lunch break. An employee, who is a smoker, has asked if she can take two 5-minute unpaid smoking breaks – one in the morning and one in the afternoon – and reduce her unpaid lunch break to 20 minutes. Is this allowed?
A. No. Under the
DOL’s iPhone App Needs An Update
On May 9, 2011, the U.S. Department of Labor proudly announced its new time-tracking app for the iPhone, which Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis touted as an “invaluable” tool for the Wage & Hour Division in cases where employers failed to keep accurate records. The announcement certainly got the attention of blogging labor and employment law bloggers – see below for a few of the many posts on this.
Ironically, the app that’s designed to allow hourly employees to keep track of their hours and pay doesn’t accurately calculate either in accordance with the Department of Labor’s regulations. Continue Reading DOL’s iPhone App Needs An Update