New Overtime Salary Threshold Will Become Effective December 1, 2016

The US Department of Labor has issued new overtime rules.  Effective December 1, 2016, most American workers who earn less than $913 per week ($47,476 per year) will be eligible for overtime pay (1.5 times regular hourly pay) when they work more than 40 hours in a week. Key provisions of the rule are as […]

Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals Issues New Guidelines Regarding Student Interns

One of the hot-button topics these days among employment lawyers is the question of when someone who is learning a new field can be classified as an intern who does not need to be paid, and when the law requires that the worker be paid.  The U.S. Department of Labor has relied heavily on a […]

US Dept. of Labor Cracking Down on Misclassification Cases

The U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) has issued a 15-page briefing addressing the difference between an independent contractor and an employee, signaling an increased focus on misclassification – situations in which someone who should be classified as an employee has been treated as an independent contractor instead. Before discussing the DOL’s briefing, I will review […]

US Supreme Court Issues New Guidelines on Religious Accommodation at Work

In a unanimous decision, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that Abercrombie & Fitch may have discriminated against a job applicant when it rejected the applicant because she wore a hijab (a Muslim head scarf) during her interview.  At the time, Abercrombie had a dress code that prohibited employees from wearing hats or other head […]

Implications of U.S. Supreme Court’s Announcement of Constitutional Protections for Same Sex Marriage – Employment Law and Otherwise – Part Two

By now, most Americans have heard that the U.S. Supreme Court has announced constitutional protections for same sex marriage.  This means that same sex marriage is legal and protected in all fifty states.  But, the resolution of the marriage issue raises a host of new issues.  This article addresses just a handful of those issues.  […]

Implications of U.S. Supreme Court’s Announcement of Constitutional Protections for Same Sex Marriage – Part One

By now, most Americans have heard that the U.S. Supreme Court has announced constitutional protections for same sex marriage.  This means that same sex marriage is legal and protected in all fifty states, on an equal footing with marriages between men and women.  But, the resolution of the same sex marriage issue raises a host […]