In Ferra v. Loews Hollywood Hotel, LLC, the California Supreme Court determined that the phrases “regular rate of compensation” and “regular rate of pay” are synonymous for the purposes of California Labor Code section 226.7(c) and the California Industrial Wage Orders. With this seemingly innocuous ruling, however, the Supreme Court has handed a potentially large … Continue Reading
As we previously blogged about here, in the final days of the Trump Administration the Department of Labor (“DOL”) announced a series of new rules regarding how and to whom employers can distribute tips. The new rules were scheduled to go into effect on March 1, 2021. We predicted that the Biden Administration might seek … Continue Reading
In a 5-4 decision, the Washington Supreme Court has ruled in an employer’s favor and clarified what are, and are not, statutory “wages” and unlawful wage “rebates” under Washington State’s Wage Rebate Act (“WRA”), RCW 49.52 et seq. The case is LaCoursiere v. CamWest Development, No. 88298-3 (Wash. Oct. 23, 2014) (slip op.). Camwest Development … Continue Reading
Companies with employees in California who are paid on commission should be aware of a new law requiring commission agreements to be in writing. As we’ve blogged about previously, California AB 1396 was enacted last year with a deferred effective date of January 1, 2013. That deadline is now coming up quickly, and affected employers should … Continue Reading
In a highly visual public expression of its commitment to wage-and-hour violations, and to encouraging employees to file wage and hour complaints, the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division entered the world of Smartphone apps when it recently launched its own “DOL-Timesheet” app for the iPad and iPhone. At first glance, the DOL-Timesheet App may … Continue Reading
A recent case should strike fear into the hearts of all upper-level managers and human resources professionals: in Boucher v. Shaw, the Ninth Circuit ruled that individual managers were liable for their subordinates’ unpaid wages, even though the employer company filed for bankruptcy. In Boucher, a group of former casino employees sued the CEO, CFO and … Continue Reading
The Washington Supreme Court issued a decision today in Morgan v. Kingen, holding that bankruptcy is not a valid defense to a willful withholding of wages under RCW 49.52.070. The plaintiffs in this case worked at Funsters Grand Casino in SeaTac, Washington. The casino was not a success and the owners voluntarily filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy … Continue Reading
A California Superior Court ordered Starbucks Corp. to pay $105 million in restitution to baristas who were required to pool their tips with supervisors. Chou v. Starbucks Corp., Cal. Super. Ct. No. GIC836925 (Mar. 19, 2008). The class action case was brought on behalf of all baristas who worked at any California Starbucks going back … Continue Reading
