Misclassification/Exemptions

By: A. Scott Hecker and Noah A. Finkel

Seyfarth Synopsis: On January 4, 2023, the Biden Administration announced the release of its Fall 2022 Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions. In connection with the Administration’s new regulatory agenda, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division has a number of ambitious rulemakings on the horizon, including a

Continue Reading The Biden Administration Issued Its Latest Regulatory Agenda – What’s on Tap for DOL in 2023?

By: Noah Finkel and Scott Hecker

Seyfarth Synopsis:  On June 21, 2022, the Biden Administration announced the release of its Spring 2022 Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions. In connection with the Administration’s new regulatory agenda, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division targeted October 2022 for the release of a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on
Continue Reading October Surprise? DOL Proposal for Exempt Status Minimum Salary Hike Could be Coming 10/2022

By: John R. Skelton, Anthony Califano, Keval D. Kapadia

Introduction

On March 24, 2022, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (“SJC”) issued a much-anticipated decision in Patel, et al. v. 7-Eleven, Inc., et al. answering a certified question from the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit concerning the application of the Massachusetts independent contractor law
Continue Reading Patel, et al. v. 7-Eleven, Inc., et al – While the Massachusetts’ Independent Contractor Statute May Apply to Franchise Relationships, the SJC’s Decision Actually offers Protection for Franchisors

By Kevin Young, Noah Finkel, and Brett C. Bartlett

Seyfarth Synopsis: On December 10, 2021, the White House and U.S. Department of Labor confirmed their plan to propose new rules to increase the salary threshold for exempt employees under the FLSA and “modernize” the prevailing wage rules that apply to many federal government contractors and subcontractors. The rulemaking
Continue Reading On Deck for ’22: Exempt Salary Level Increases and Prevailing Wage Changes

By: Daniel I. SmallRobert T. SzybaHoward M. Wexler, and Glenn J. Smith

Seyfarth Synopsis: New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed a legislative package into law on July 8, 2021 that increases enforcement mechanisms for state agencies to impose a variety of penalties against employers who misclassify workers as independent contractors and creates a new
Continue Reading NJ Continues Its Aggressive Crackdown on Independent Contractor Misclassification

Tuesday, May 25, 2021
1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Eastern
12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. Central
11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Mountain
10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Pacific

Classifying workers properly to comply with wage-hour and fair employment laws is an important aspect that many businesses are already aware of, but misclassifying workers may have unintended effects to other legal
Continue Reading Upcoming Webinar: The Connection Between Wage and Hour & Restrictive Covenant Law

By: Kevin Young

Seyfarth Synopsis: On January 8, the U.S. DOL’s Wage & Hour Division issued an opinion letter confirming the exempt status of Account Managers at a life sciences manufacturing company under the FLSA’s administrative exemption. The letter offers useful guidance to employers assessing this notoriously murky exemption, as well as potential ammunition for those defending the exempt status
Continue Reading De-Muddying the Waters: WHD Addresses Exempt Status of Account Managers

By Barry J. Miller and Hillary J. Massey

Seyfarth Synopsis: The Second Circuit has affirmed summary judgment for the employer, Aetna, in an exempt misclassification overtime claim brought by a nurse reviewer. Agreeing that the plaintiff was properly classified as a “professional” employee and thus exempt from the FLSA, the Second Circuit explained that clinicians who do not directly provide
Continue Reading 2nd Cir. Rules Utilization Reviewer Was Exempt “Professional”


Continue Reading State Enforcement of AB 5 Against Motor Carriers Preliminarily Enjoined

By Kevin M. Young and Renate M. Walker

Seyfarth Synopsis: Each year, droves of employers are hauled into court to defend lawsuits in which salaried-exempt employees claim that, because of their job duties, they should have been classified as non-exempt and paid overtime. While a written job description alone cannot defeat such a claim, it will nearly always be
Continue Reading Looking Ahead to Exhibit A: Tips For Drafting Job Descriptions for Exempt Roles