In recent years, companies have started classifying workers as independent contractors instead of employees.  Independent contractors have the ability to decide when they will work, which tasks they will person, and negotiate their pay per task. While some companies correctly classify its employees as independent contractors and do not have to pay those workers overtime …Read More

Many employees hesitate to bring claims for unpaid overtime wages because of a fear that they cannot provide proof that they worked the overtime hours that they claim.  Especially if an employee is salaried, he or she will often only clock in and out for attendance purposes or may not even have to clock in …Read More

When the stock market takes a dive, your 401k suffers too.  While many employees allocate some of their earnings to their employer’s 401k plan without a second thought, employees still need to periodically review their accounts thoroughly to ensure that their employer is protecting their best interests. The federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act (“ERISA”) …Read More

Colorado recently updated its wage laws and strengthened its protections for workers.  The new laws clarified that workers must be paid for all time worked, including time spent preparing to work, like booting up computer programs and timekeeping systems to clock in.  Employees who arrive at work and have pre-shift meetings must be paid for …Read More

When you think about wage and hour compliance issues, you might overlook an entire group of employers which may be in violation: law firms.  While you might assume that attorneys would be in compliance with the law, remember they are businesses, too.  As with other businesses, it is not uncommon for law firms to cut …Read More

The Fair Labor Standards Act is the federal law that requires employers to pay workers the federal minimum wage and requires that employers pay workers 1.5 times their hourly wage for overtime hours worked over 40 hours per week.  However, several states have their own laws that protect workers’ wages and, in many cases, offer …Read More

As the coronavirus continues to spread both globally and within the United States, many companies have expanded measures to prevent their employees from exposure. You may have experienced these yourself – increased sick days due to being ill, requirements to work from home, or even furloughs. This virus is not going away anytime soon – …Read More

The Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”), and many state wage laws, require employers to provide non-exempt employees with a meal break. A bona fide meal break under the FLSA must be for a period of more than 20 minutes, and the employee must be “completely relieved of duty” during the break for the employer to …Read More

As of January 1, 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor’s (“DOL”) new final rule becomes effective.  The new rule makes an additional 1.3 million American workers eligible for overtime pay under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”).  The rules allow workers to make more money in a salary and still be eligible for overtime.  Specifically, …Read More

Are you an hourly employee that works through your lunch break? Federal wage and hour law does not require employers to give employees lunch breaks; however, the laws of some states require that lunch breaks be provided. In either case, hourly employees who are given lunch breaks and are required to clock out for those …Read More