September 7, 2023
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Department of Labor Proposes Changes to Automatic Overtime Eligibility

At the federal level, overtime for salaried employees has been limited to those making up to $35,500 per year. But in August, the Department of Labor under acting Secretary Julie Su has proposed a change to that cutoff, calling for an increase to salaries up to $55,000 per year. The potential rule change could affect over 3.5 million working Americans. 

Automatic eligibility for time-and-a-half has been a focus of US administrations for nearly a decade. The Obama administration proposed a sizable increase only for a federal judge to strike down the change, stating that the DoL did not have the authority to make such a substantial increase in the cutoff, which had been at $23,500. During the Trump administration, the DoL was able to increase the amount to its current $35,500 limit.

One compelling reason for the DoL to pursue this is that many employers avoid overtime obligations by misclassifying workers as managers or illegally prevent employees from accessing automatic overtime by setting worker salaries just north of the current limit. 

The Department of Labor estimates that the rule change will see a transfer of more than $1 billion from employers to workers in its first year. Several large industries, including hospitality and retail have begun fighting back against the proposal, threatening to hire or reclassify existing workers as part-timers to avoid paying overtime.

While this will not affect New York State labor law, where the automatic eligibility is already roughly in line with the DoL’s proposed changes, it is interesting to see another instance of the Biden administration's quest to bend labor law back toward the benefit of workers.

The Week in FFCRA Cases Includes a Class Action Suit against the USDA

July 24, 2020
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Four cases came across the wire this week and we have chosen to highlight them all. One case is the first class action lawsuit filed under the FFCRA and concerns potentially millions of people seeking SNAP aid. The three other suits that were filed this week follow a familiar line for anyone who has been reading our updates. People are getting sick or have family members getting sick and are then denied their right to paid leave and are terminated.

Dueling Congressional Plans to Bailout US Childcare

July 21, 2020
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By now, the fact that childcare is in crisis is not new. But as the weeks creep by it is crystallizing as one of the signal problems of the pandemic lockdowns. Without childcare, which includes open K-12 schools, parents, child care workers, day care providers, and a host of others have been deeply affected. As Congress prepares to reconvene and wrangle over a new set of stimulus payments, a boost to the childcare industry is front and center.

The Berke-Weiss Law Weekly Roundup: School Reopenings and Employer Liability among Hot-button Issues

July 17, 2020
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This week includes updates on the latest roadblocks at another round of stimulus, which remains necessary as more than 30 million Americans remain out of work, officially, and countless more are shut out of the social welfare programs offered in the US. We also highlight school re-openings and general Covid risk analysis.

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