Payroll usually pays the hours recorded on time clocks – but requiring employees to arrive early can create a pay obligation before they even punch in. That’s the issue in a recent wage dispute, alleging violations of the Fair Labor…
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)
When daylight saving time ends, employees on the clock when the time changes at 2 a.m. pick up an additional hour. Payroll teams need to make sure that hour is credited and paid this run. This year, the clocks fall…
On Oct. 13, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review Merritt v. Texas Farm Bureau. The denial leaves in place a Fifth Circuit ruling that a company owed no overtime pay to a misclassified worker because it didn’t know he…
A pizza delivery driver’s challenge to a 35-cent-per-mile reimbursement rate is back before a federal court in Colorado, reminding employers that mileage reimbursements can create wage-and-hour exposure. The Tenth Circuit revived the driver's complaint against a Papa John’s franchise operator,…
On Sept. 30, 2026, Florida’s minimum wage increased to $15 an hour, from $14 an hour. The minimum cash wage for tipped employees rose to $11.98 an hour, from $10.98. The increase marked the final $1 annual increase required under…
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) debarred a Louisiana farmer from the H-2A visa program for one year after investigators found violations involving job terms and worker pay. The H-2A visa program allows agricultural employers facing a shortage of domestic…
Misclassifying employees as independent contractors can leave employers facing significant wage-and-hour liability. DMV Protection LLC is a security service company that provides security personnel for clients. Except for the owner, everyone at DMV – from security guards to the director…
At what level of authority does a manager become exempt from overtime? A federal judge in Maine approved an $8.875 million settlement involving salaried department managers at Hannaford Supermarkets. The managers, who oversaw the bakery, deli, produce and meat departments,…
The Department of Labor (DOL) has issued a new opinion letter addressing tip-pooling rules for supervisors who also perform tipped work under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The issue: Whether the FLSA allows a restaurant supervisor who also bartends…
A restaurant chain has paid $618,666 in back wages to 779 employees and an additional $100,000 in penalties after the Department of Labor (DOL) found wage and child labor violations across 13 South Carolina locations. The DOL found several violations…
A Florida restaurant faces nearly $733,000 in back wages after the Department of Labor (DOL) found it failed to properly pay 31 workers. The case shows how payroll practices can turn into significant financial liability when they don't comply with…
The Department of Labor (DOL) has issued a new opinion letter addressing when walking time during a meal period affects compensability under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The issue: Whether a 60-minute unpaid lunch, with six to 14 minutes…
