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…
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)
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…
An urgent care facility in Georgia has agreed to pay $113,199 to resolve alleged violations of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). According to an investigation by the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Premier Health Consultants…
A recent Seventh Circuit court ruling focuses on a key overtime calculation issue for payroll: Which premiums belong in the regular rate of pay? For a Wisconsin employer, certain pay differentials and incentive premiums had to be included before calculating…
Field-based roles raise unique FLSA compliance questions, including whether an employer must pay for work tasks performed before or during the commute to the first job site. A recent DOL opinion letter addressed the issue. The question came from a…
Hybrid schedules are now a standard part of many workplaces, but payroll teams are still sorting out when a commute during the workday belongs on the timesheet. The Department of Labor (DOL) recently addressed a recurring question: When a nonexempt…
