North Texas Legal News
Original Commentary on Texas Business and Employment Law
Category: Fair Labor Standards Act
Breaking News: Texas and 20 States Sue the Department of Labor Over the Overtime Rules
A group of 21 states, including Texas, filed a lawsuit today in the Eastern District of Texas challenging the U.S. Department of Labor’s new overtime exemption rules that are supposed to go into effect on December 1, 2016, arguing the agency unconstitutionally overstepped its authority to…
Business Owners Alert: State Minimum Wage Increases in 2016
While the minimum wage in Texas will remain the same in 2016, those Texas companies that have employees in other states, need to be aware of the following minimum wage (and overtime) increases.* Given the recent increase in unpaid overtime lawsuits around the country,…
Could Your Restaurant Be Violating A Federal Wage Law?
In the words of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, “this case concerns coffee and tipping.” More specifically, Montano v. Montrose Restaurant Associates, Inc. concerns a question of whether a restaurant violated Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) by requiring waiters to share their tips with the…
Break Time for Nursing Mothers at Work – A Right or a Privilege?
Many businesses routinely face the question of what to do when a nursing employee asks that she be allowed to take a break to express milk at work and that she be allowed to do so in a private space? Does an employer have…
In the News: A Dallas strip club is sued by the dancers for failure to pay overtime; ends up settling for $2.3 million.
12.26.2014 The lawsuit alleged that Jaguars, a strip club in Dallas, illegally classified the dancers and “house moms” as independent contractors and failed to pay them overtime. According to the petition filed with the court, the club hired/fired, issued pay, supervised, directed, disciplined, scheduled and performed…
Employers Do Not Have to Pay Employees for the Time Spent in a Security Screening After Work, Says the U.S. Supreme Court.
Amazon warehouse employees can’t seem to catch a break. A few years ago, the media was abuzz with the stories about the grueling conditions inside the company’s warehouses. This year, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the warehouse employees are not entitled to overtime pay for the…
When Can a Franchisor Be Liable for Overtime and Minimum Wage Violations at a Franchisee’s Business?
Earlier this month, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals addressed when a franchisor might be liable for its franchisee’s overtime and minimum wage violations as a “joint employer” under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Given the recent rise in the FLSA litigation and rather sizable penalties and damages awards assessed against…
The Fifth Circuit Allows Class Arbitration Waivers in Employment Agreements
Last week, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals joined the Ninth, Second and Eighth Circuits in holding that class arbitration waivers in employment agreements are enforceable, notwithstanding the right of employees to engage in concerted activities under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). The…
The Fifth Circuit Triples an Overtime Payment Award; Says the Fluctuating Workweek Method Was Not Warranted in a FLSA Misclassification Case
Last Friday, the Fifth Circuit in Black v. SettlePou, PC ruled that the Northern District of Texas erred in applying the Fluctuating Workweek (FWW) method of calculating an overtime payment award where there was no evidence that the employee had agreed to the flexible work hours. The Court of Appeals remanded the…
