As the year comes to a close, many employers are awarding or planning to award bonuses to employees. While bonuses are a great way to attract and retain employees, they can also create complex issues when it comes to non-exempt…

In 1998, Lyndel Erwin retired from his longtime position as a District Director for the Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, and began a second career as a consultant at our firm in 2000. For the next 23 years,…

Why the strike? Much of the news is focused on pay and benefits, with the UAW (“U Ain’t Workin’) initially seeking a 40% increase over four years, the elimination of the two-tier wage system, adding a defined benefit plan, adding…

Today, the Department of Labor issued its long-awaited proposed rule modifying the standards for classifying employees as exempt from the overtime requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act.  To qualify for one of the white-collar exemptions (executive, administrative or professional),…

Labor Day began in 1882 as a recommendation from the American Federation of Labor for “a general holiday for the laboring classes” in recognition of their contributions to our country. It has since transformed to include a “State of the Union(s)”…

Takeaway 5: Left unchecked, the proposed PWFA regulations will turn the PWFA into an unpaid leave entitlement.The PWFA—the statute—appeared to be an extension or even a slight expansion of the ADA reasonable accommodations process to employees with pregnancy, childbirth, or…