By Ryan McCoy, Alex Simon, and Cary Burke
Seyfarth Synopsis: Recently, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled that a crane mechanic who performed some work on a truck chassis came within the purview of the Motor Carrier Act exemption to the Fair Labor Standards Act, irrespective of the percentage of time he spent performing
Continue Reading An Uplifting Motor Carrier Act Exemption Victory At The Fifth CircuitAuthored by Alex Passantino
Seyfarth Synopsis: On July 26, 2017, the U.S. Department of Labor will publish its anticipated Request for Information on the White-Collar Overtime Exemption in the Federal Register. The RFI will give the regulated community 60 days to provide its comments in response.
The RFI seeks input on a wide variety of topics, many of which involve
Continue Reading DOL Seeks Comment on Overtime Rule
Authored by Holger G. Besch
Perhaps signaling the importance of the issue for American businesses and jurisprudence, the U.S. Supreme Court chose the first day of its term beginning in October as the date to set oral arguments in three petitions for certiorari asking whether employees can be required to waive their rights via arbitration agreements to file class and
Continue Reading SCOTUS Puts the Class Action Waiver Issue at the Top of Its Agenda
Co-authored by Robert J. Carty, Jr., John Phillips, and Alex Passantino
Seyfarth Synopsis: On June 30, the Department of Labor filed its reply brief to support its appeal from a preliminary injunction that enjoined the DOL from implementing its 2016 revisions to the salary-level tests for determining applicability of the FLSA’s executive, administrative, and professional exemptions.
Continue Reading Finally Briefed: Appellate Experts’ Perspective on the Fully Briefed 5th Circuit EAP Exemption Appeal
Authored by Sheryl Skibbe
On Wednesday, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals granted the Justice Department’s additional unopposed request for a 60-day extension to figure out its position on the new FLSA overtime exemption rules.
The stated reason for the government’s unopposed request was to “allow incoming leadership personnel adequate time to consider the issues.” Nevada v. DOL, No.
Continue Reading Time and Time Again
Authored by Kevin Young
Will the Department of Labor’s new overtime rule go into effect? When will a new Secretary of Labor be confirmed? We don’t have the answers just yet, but a lot has happened over the last few weeks to inch us closer. As things heat up, we wanted to update our readers on all the latest.
Where
Continue Reading New Rules, New Secretary? As Spring Inches Closer, We’re Getting Warmer.
Co-authored by Steve Shardonofsky and Tiffany Tran
Resolving a split in the lower courts and deciding an issue of first impression for the Court, the Fifth Circuit earlier this week held that prevailing plaintiffs in FLSA retaliation cases may recover emotional distress damages. While perhaps not unexpected, since the result joins with the majority rule in other Circuits, the outcome
Continue Reading Fifth Circuit Approves Emotional Distress Damages and Invites FLSA Retaliation Plaintiffs to Sit on Freudian Couch
Authored by Seyfarth’s Wage & Hour Litigation Practice Group
Late Tuesday afternoon, Judge Amos Mazzant of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas issued an order enjoining the U.S. Department of Labor’s implementation and enforcement of the new overtime exemption rules that were set to go into effect on December 1, 2016. The court granted a
Continue Reading Texas Judge Preliminarily Enjoins New Overtime Exemption Rules Nationwide: What Steps Should Follow?
Authored by Alex Passantino
Seyfarth Synopsis: Two lawsuits related to the Department of Labor’s revisions to the white-collar exemptions have been filed in East Texas.
The first lawsuit, citing (among other things) the severe impact the impending salary increase will have on state and local government budgets, was filed by the Attorneys General of Nevada, Texas, and 19 other
Continue Reading Employers Should Not Retreat on Compliance Planning Despite Two-Pronged Attack on OT Rule
Co-authored by Dennis Clifford and Rachel Hoffer
From December 2011 to September 2012, Ambrea Fairchild was living the new All American dream: hired by All American Check Cashing, Inc. as an hourly manager trainee in its Hattiesburg, Mississippi store, Fairchild was soon promoted to manager, a salaried position, in March 2012. But Fairchild performed poorly in her new role; after
Continue Reading Fifth Circuit Rejects Off-the-Clock Bid: That’s Not Fair(child)