Yesterday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit granted the unopposed motion of
the U.S. Department of Labor to dismiss as moot the appeal in the “overtime case” of Nevada v. U.S. Department of Labor. The Fifth Circuit order brings that litigation to an end.
The DOL is expected to begin a new rulemaking process and is expected to propose increasing the salary thresholds for the executive, administrative, and (some) professional exemptions to the overtime requirements under the Fair Labor Standards Act — but not by nearly as much as they would have been increased under the Obama Administration rule that has been struck down. Continue Reading ›
Bloomberg BNA reported Friday evening that President Trump has nominated Cheryl Stanton of South Carolina as Administrator of the Wage Hour Division of the U.S. Department of Labor. Ms. Stanton is currently executive director of the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce, which administers unemployment compensation for the state. She has been a shareholder with the management-side employment firm Ogletree Deakins twice, separated by a period in which she was the principal White House liaison to the U.S. Department of Labor, the National Labor Relations Board, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission under former President George W. Bush. She is a 1994 graduate of Williams College, and a 1997 graduate of the University of Chicago School of Law. According to the Trump White House, she clerked for Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito when he was on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
Lots going on in the wage-hour area! The USDOL filed a motion to dismiss as moot its appeal of the preliminary injunction blocking the Obama-era overtime rule. Continue Reading ›
Our thoughts and prayers this holiday weekend go out to our friends and all the people of Texas and Louisiana who have been affected by Hurricane Harvey.
And our thanks to the heroic rescue personnel. Continue Reading ›
Just in time for Labor Day . . . Our favorite labor
commentator, David Phippen of our Washington DC-Metro Office, is his usual bad* self, with the latest of President Trump’s nominees and appointees to the National Labor Relations Board, a court’s “joint employer” decision that may indicate where the now-Republican Board will end up on this issue, the UAW defeat at Nissan in Mississippi, union-related scandals at the U.S. Postal Service and between Chrysler and the UAW, and — a pro-union vote at a chain of erotica shops in New York. (Leave it to David to make labor relations sexy.) Oh, and I almost forgot – a herd of goats taking union jobs in Michigan.
*By “bad,” I mean “awesome.” Continue Reading ›
I’m reading the decision as we speak, and we’ll be back soon with analysis from our Wage and Hour gurus, Jim
Coleman and Ellen Kearns. But meanwhile, here is the Opinion and Order from U.S. District Court Judge Amos Mazzant, and here is the Judgment.
The judge granted a motion for summary judgment filed by the business plaintiffs, a group led by the Plano (TX) Chamber of Commerce.
You may recall that Judge Mazzant’s preliminary injunction, issued last November, is on appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
Image Credit: From flickr, Creative Commons license, by State Farm Insurance. Continue Reading ›
Louise Davies is an Affirmative Action Paralegal in Constangy’s Winston-Salem, North Carolina, office. For more than 15 years, she has helped employers develop affirmative action plans and respond to audits and on-site investigations by the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs. She also conducts diversity training for employers. Louise is a graduate of Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia.
In February 2016, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs filed an administrative complaint against B&H Foto, the largest non-chain photo and video equipment store in the United States. The Complaint alleged that B&H had discriminated against female, black, and Asian jobseekers by hiring only Hispanic men for entry-level positions. The OFCCP also alleged that Hispanic employees were harassed, paid less than similarly situated workers, and denied promotions because of their ethnicity.
The agency and the company recently entered into a consent decree, in which B&H agreed to pay $3.22 million in back wages to more than 1,300 affected class members. The company has also agreed to hire a workplace consultant to address its employment practices and workplace conduct. In addition, the company must provide its managers with annual training on EEO principles and on workplace harassment.
By agreeing to the consent decree, the company did not admit any guilt or wrongdoing. The company released a statement denying all of the allegations, but recognizing that litigation would be costly and resolution would allow it to return to business “as usual” with the government. Continue Reading ›
This is Constangy’s flagship law blog, founded in 2010 by Robin Shea, who is chief legal editor and a regular contributor. This nationally recognized blog also features posts from other Constangy attorneys in the areas of immigration, labor relations, and sports law, keeping HR professionals and employers informed about the latest legal trends.
