By: Megan J. Muoio, May 26, 2016 On May 18, 2016, President Barack Obama announced that the Department of Labor will be finalizing a new rule expanding the payment of overtime wages to a larger class of workers who are not currently eligible for overtime pay under federal law. The aim of the rule change, according to the Obama Administration, is the expansion of overtime protections and the boosting of wages for middle class workers. However, the rule change may have different results. Currently, hourly workers are entitled…

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By: Megan J. Muoio, October 19, 2015 On September 19, 2015, three trade groups representing the home care industry filed an emergency application with the Supreme Court, seeking a stay of rules implemented by the Department of Labor (DOL). Those rules require home care workers who are employees of a business or outside provider to be paid minimum wages and overtime pay. Those employees, as well as home care providers hired directly by the person being served or someone on their behalf, had long been exempt from minimum…

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Diana Uhimov, May 22, 2015 On May 10, 2015, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced that he would enact emergency measures to combat the wage theft and workplace safety hazards faced by the thousands of people who work in New York State’s nail salon industry. The new rules come after a series of New York Times articles brought to light the working conditions and potential health risks suffered by nail salon employees who are often times immigrants with a high language barrier and unaware of their rights. The articles…

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Megan J. Muoio, April 23, 2014. On June 11, 2013, Judge William H. Pauley of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York issued a decision in Glatt v. Fox Searchlight Pictures that struck fear into the hearts of employers with unpaid internship programs in New York. The Court ruled that an employer had violated federal and state labor laws by classifying the plaintiffs as unpaid interns rather than employees and that the plaintiffs should have been paid for their work. The Glatt case…

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