Authored by Alex Passantino
‘Twas the week after Christmas, and all through the land
Our readers were focused on their year ’13 plans;
And though we’ve no desire to knock you off track,
We thought that 2012 deserved one last look back.
Hours, exemptions, pay rates, and more;
Nearly 100 posts (for those keeping score).
We know every issue will not give you your kicks,
So we considered them all, and we picked out just six.
At the top of the list, one case, it stood out.
And our blog frequently mentioned what it was all about.
We note it again, cause it’s not every day
That the SCOTUS addresses the FLSA.
Pharma Sales Reps were the source of debate
As the justices considered their overtime fate.
But beyond the exemption lay a larger issue,
Which brought Roberts, CJ, and eight justices, too.
A unanimous ruling that courts won’t defer
To an agency brief that’s made up on the spur.
No Auer. No Skidmore. No Seminole Rock.
No deference at all, which came as a shock.
And five Justices found that sales’ “other disposition”
Includes what happens with drugs ‘tween sales rep and physician.
Our second big item for the past year
Gives hospitals all over a reason to cheer.
Automatic break cases have been oh so scary
But departments and managers and practices vary,
And faced with these cases, this giant morass
Increasingly, courts have been saying “no class.”
Third — a crucial pairing that’s been quite hot of late
Collective wage claims and the word “arbitrate”
Attacks on class waivers have sunk like a stone
Since SCOTUS approved them in Concepcion.
Employment class waivers should have the same fortune
But first must maneuver around D.R. Horton.
In Sutter, the Supremes decide if arbitrations are class-y,
While California, it seems, is contrary — so sassy.
The fourth of our topics is only beginning,
Soon SCOTUS will decide if Genesis is winning
By offering a plaintiff all possible pay
Then moving the court: “Make this case go away.”
With the case fully briefed, and the arguments heard,
It won’t be ‘til next year that we learn the last word.
Our fifth and sixth issues go hand-in-hand,
It’s the wage-hour wave that’s been sweeping the land.
Whether it’s agency efforts or plaintiff-filed cases,
FLSA violations will get thrown in your faces.
Aggressive enforcement might lay you down flat.
Will your customers know? Well, there’s an app for that.
And these targeted efforts to cause course correction,
Won’t be going away, due to Barack’s re-election.
And the plaintiffs’ bar will also be sticking around,
As their wage-hour case filings continue to abound.
So make sure that next year, you review all this “stuff.”
And thanks for the page views; we can’t thank you enough.
We wish you success in 2013.
From your favorite blogging (and book-writing) team.
THANKS TO ALL OF OUR READERS. BEST WISHES FOR A HAPPY, HEALTHY, AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR!