Wage & Hour

  • February 20, 2026

    DOL Asks High Court To Weigh In On H-2A Fines Power

    Congress authorized the U.S. Department of Labor to impose $580,000 in penalties and back wages on a New Jersey farm for alleged violations of the H-2A program, the department said last week, urging the U.S. Supreme Court to take up the case after the Third Circuit deemed the fines improper.

  • February 20, 2026

    Fabiani Cohen Escapes Fired Black Atty's Discrimination Suit

    A New York federal judge tossed a Black attorney's case claiming Fabiani Cohen & Hall LLP subjected her to racist harassment and fired her after she sued, backing a magistrate judge's conclusion that the alleged mistreatment wasn't severe enough and her case lacked evidence of prejudice.

  • February 20, 2026

    Drilling Co. Accused Of Shorting Workers On Overtime

    A drilling services company stiffs employees on wages by requiring off-the-clock work, rounding their hours and miscalculating overtime, a worker alleged in a proposed collective action filed in Utah federal court.

  • February 19, 2026

    NCAA Sets Payment Plan For $303M Wage-Fixing Settlement

    The NCAA on Thursday announced a funding plan for its $303 million settlement resolving class action claims from more than 7,700 volunteer Division I coaches who claimed the governing body's former rules illegally suppressed coaching wages.

  • February 19, 2026

    Empower Retirement Faces FLSA Violation Allegations

    A former employee of Empower Retirement LLC claimed in a proposed class and collective action Wednesday that the company violated the Fair Labor Standards Act by not paying employees for required pre- and post-shift work.

  • February 19, 2026

    Pa. Waste Co. Misclassified, Underpaid Workers, Suit Says

    A waste management company misclassified drivers as independent contractors, stiffed them on overtime premiums and did not pay for about a month of training, according to a proposed class and collective action filed in Pennsylvania federal court on Thursday.

  • February 19, 2026

    DOL's Absence Felt At ABA Wage Conference

    A directive from the U.S. Department of Labor's top lawyer for staffers to cut official ties with the American Bar Association was on display when an associate solicitor of labor disappeared from the agenda for the organization's wage and hour event this week, and other agency employees skipped attending.

  • February 19, 2026

    FedEx Reaches $8.5M Deal To Settle Warehouse Wage Suit

    FedEx and workers at 17 of its New Jersey warehouses reached an $8.5 million deal to settle the workers' claims they weren't paid for the time spent going through security screenings and walking to time clocks before and after their shifts.

  • February 19, 2026

    Former Health Insurance Agent Ends OT Suit In Fla.

    A former health insurance agent has dropped his proposed collective action against a group of health insurance companies alleging they failed to pay overtime and improperly calculated pay rates, according to a Florida federal magistrate judge's Thursday order. 

  • February 19, 2026

    Healthcare Co., Nurse Agree To Collective In OT Suit

    A healthcare company and a nurse claiming he wasn't paid overtime agreed that a collective should be certified, telling an Ohio federal court Thursday that doing so will allow efficiency in the case and increase the possibility of a deal.

  • February 19, 2026

    Trucking Co. Paid Drivers Per Mile Only, Suit Says

    A trucking company's per-mile pay system violates state law by failing to compensate drivers for work that does not include driving, a driver said in a proposed class action filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

  • February 18, 2026

    Canada's Olympic Body Joins NHL, CHL Antitrust Defense

    Canadian hockey officials asked the Ninth Circuit to reject an appeal from junior players who sued the National Hockey League and its pipeline organizations over alleged antitrust violations, arguing certain rules actually benefit the community and foster competition.

  • February 18, 2026

    5th Circ. Affirms Staffing Co.'s Pay Plan Doesn't Exempt OT

    A staffing company's retainer pay plan guaranteeing a set amount of pay for any work in a workweek did not represent a salary under the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Fifth Circuit affirmed Wednesday.

  • February 18, 2026

    Waste Management Co. Didn't Pay For Log-In Time, Suit Says

    A waste management services company failed to pay customer service representatives for the time they spent booting up their computers, resulting in unpaid overtime and straight time wages, according to a proposed class and collective action filed Wednesday in Texas federal court.

  • February 18, 2026

    Domino's Franchisee Hit With Vehicle Reimbursement Suit

    An operator of Domino's franchises in Colorado pushed delivery drivers' pay below the state and federal minimum wage by providing unreasonably low reimbursements for vehicle expenses, according to a proposed class and collective action complaint filed in federal court.

  • February 18, 2026

    SC County Says EMS Worker Was Overtime-Exempt

    A South Carolina county argued that a worker who was trained as both a paramedic and a firefighter didn't need to engage in fire suppression work to be exempt from overtime under the Fair Labor Standards Act, urging a federal court to ax her suit.

  • February 18, 2026

    Mining Contractor Stiffed Workers On Pay, Suit Says

    A mining contractor shorted employees on wages by requiring off-the-clock work, rounding their hours and miscalculating overtime, even as they worked up to 12 hours a day, seven days a week, according to a proposed collective action filed in Montana federal court.

  • February 17, 2026

    Cargo Airline To Pay Pilots $425K In Training Repay Dispute

    A Texas regional cargo airline operator will pay $425,000 to pilots who claimed they would have to pay thousands of dollars if they left the company before a certain amount of time, after a federal judge preliminarily approved the deal.

  • February 17, 2026

    Employment Group Of The Year: Wigdor

    Wigdor LLP secured settlements on behalf of an actress victimized by Harvey Weinstein and a fintech executive discharged after two pregnancies, and is leading the charge in high-profile employment litigation against the NFL and NCAA, earning the firm a spot among the 2025 Law360 Employment Groups of the Year.

  • February 17, 2026

    Nurse, Staffing Cos. Settle 'Indentured Servitude' Suit For $1M

    Two healthcare staffing companies will pay $1 million to end a proposed class and collective action claiming they engaged in "indentured servitude" by forcing nurses to repay visa-related costs, according to an Ohio federal court filing.

  • February 17, 2026

    Volvo Faces Class Suit Claiming Unpaid Call Center Work

    Volvo violated federal and state law by forcing customer service representatives to perform unpaid overtime work in order to be "phone ready" the moment their shifts began, a former employee said in a proposed class action filed in North Carolina federal court.

  • February 17, 2026

    Home Health Co. Nurses Are Employees, Judge Rules

    A home healthcare company misclassified its licensed practical nurses as independent contractors, a Pennsylvania federal judge ruled in a suit brought by the U.S. Department of Labor, saying a jury should decide how much overtime the workers are owed.

  • February 17, 2026

    Denver Restaurant To Pay $63K After DOL Tip Probe

    A Denver restaurant will pay nearly $63,000 in back wages and civil penalties after a U.S. Department of Labor investigation found that it unlawfully kept tips from 11 workers, the agency announced.

  • February 13, 2026

    'Bikini Barista' Owner Can't Nix Wash. AG's Wage, Bias Suit

    The owner of four Washington kiosks known as bikini barista coffee stands can't dodge the state attorney general's action accusing him of underpaying and discriminating against female workers, a King County Superior Court judge ruled Friday, rejecting the defendant's argument that the women themselves would have to sue.

  • February 13, 2026

    NY Forecast: 2nd Circ. Hears Ex-ConEd Worker's New Trial Bid

    This week, the Second Circuit will consider a former Con Edison worker's claim that a trial court improperly excluded evidence from trial that limited the amount of backpay that she was able to receive despite the jury finding the energy company retaliated against her.

Expert Analysis

  • Challenging A Class Representative's Adequacy And Typicality

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    Recent cases highlight that a named plaintiff cannot certify a putative class action unless they can meet all the applicable requirements of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, so defendants should consider challenging a plaintiff's ability to meet typicality and adequacy requirements early and often, say attorneys at Womble Bond.

  • What Employers Can Learn From Axed Mo. Sick Leave Law

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    Missouri's recent passage and brisk repeal of Proposition A, which would have created a paid sick time benefit for employees, serves as a case study for employers, highlighting the steps they can take to adapt as paid sick leave laws are increasingly debated across the country, say attorneys at Foley & Lardner.

  • Navigating Court Concerns About QR Codes In FLSA Notices

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    As plaintiffs attorneys increasingly seek to include QR codes as a method of notice in Fair Labor Standards Act collective actions, counsel should be prepared to address judicial concerns about their use, including their potential to be duplicative and circumvent court-approved language, say attorneys at Shook Hardy.

  • FMLA Expansion Sees State Progress Despite Federal Barriers

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    Recent legislative efforts to expand the Family and Medical Leave Act reflect workers' growing demand for work-life balance, but as federal proposals continue to face significant hurdles, states have stepped in, creating a labyrinth of leave laws and compliance headaches for multistate employers, say attorneys at FordHarrison.

  • New Law May Reshape Fla. Employer Noncompete Strategy

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    With Florida's CHOICE Act taking effect this week, employers should consider the pros and cons of drafting new restrictive covenant agreements with longer noncompete or garden leave periods and enhanced enforcement mechanisms, say attorneys at Vedder Price.

  • How Ending OFCCP Will Affect Affirmative Action Obligations

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    As President Donald Trump's administration plans to eliminate the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, which enforces federal contractor antidiscrimination compliance and affirmative action program obligations, contractors should consider the best compliance approaches available to them, especially given the False Claims Act implications, say attorneys at Ogletree.

  • FLSA Interpretation Patterns Emerge 1 Year After Loper Bright

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    One year after the U.S. Supreme Court's monumental decision in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, four distinct avenues of judicial decision-making have taken shape among lower courts that are responding to their newfound freedom in interpreting the Fair Labor Standards Act through U.S. Department of Labor regulations, say attorneys at Kutak Rock.

  • Handbook Hot Topics: Shifting Worker Accommodation Rules

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    Since President Donald Trump took office, many changes have directly affected how employers must address accommodation requests, particularly those concerning pregnancy-related medical conditions and religious beliefs, underscoring the importance of regularly reviewing and updating accommodation policies and procedures, say attorneys at Kutak Rock.

  • What Calif. Appeals Split Means For Litigating PAGA Claims

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    After two recent California state appeals court rulings diverged on whether a former employee with untimely individual claims under the Private Attorneys General Act can maintain a representative action, practitioners' strategic agility will be key to managing risk and achieving favorable outcomes in PAGA litigation, say attorneys at Buchalter.

  • When Rule 12 Motions Against Class Allegations Succeed

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    Companies facing class actions often attempt early motions to strike class allegations, and while some district courts have been reluctant to decide certification issues at the pleading stage, several recent decisions have shown that Rule 12 motions to dismiss or strike class allegations can be effective, say attorneys at Womble Bond.

  • 5 Insurance Claims That Could Emerge After NCAA Settlement

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    Following the recent NCAA class action settlement that will allow revenue sharing with college athletes, there may be potential management liability for universities, their executive leadership and boards that could expose insurers to tax, regulatory, breach of contract and other claims, says Sarah Abrams at Baleen Specialty.

  • 8th Circ. Ruling Highlights Complicated Remote Work Analysis

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    The Eighth Circuit’s recent opinion in Kuklenski v. Medtronic USA demonstrates that the applicability of employment laws to remote workers is often a fact-driven analysis, highlighting several parameters to consider when evaluating what state and local laws may apply to employees who work remotely, say attorneys at Vedder Price.

  • Philly Law Initiates New Era Of Worker Protections

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    A new worker protection law in Philadelphia includes, among other measures, a private right of action and recordkeeping requirements that may amount to a lower evidentiary standard, introducing a new level of accountability and additional noncompliance risks for employers, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.