A new law signed by President Barack Obama would have raised the threshold for those eligible to receive overtime pay to $47,476 ($913 per week) from $23,660 ($455 per week). The rule should have gone into effect this December but was sidelined by United States District Judge Amos Mazzant of Sherman in Grayson County, Texas.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who filed a lawsuit against the Department of Labor in protest of the new rule, welcomed the development, saying, “The finalized overtime rule hurts the American worker. It limits workplace flexibility without a corresponding increase in pay and forces employers to cut their workers’ hours.”
Our attorneys at The Melton Law Firm know how difficult it can be for Austin employees to cope with the consequences of an employment legal issue, such as a wrongful termination, retaliatory action, or an overtime or wage dispute. As such, we are here to help you sort out your difficulty. Call our offices today at (512) 330-0017.
President Obama announced on Thursday, September 29 that his administration will be implementing a new rule to extend sick leave to almost 600,000 workers who currently lack the benefit. Workers will now be earning up to seven sick days in a year.
In an interview with Slate, Obama outlined the importance of the new rule, saying: “It will give additional paid sick leave to more than 1.1 million federal contract workers in the first five years, including nearly 600,000 who currently receive no paid sick leave at all.”
“Since I first called on them to act, we’ve seen four states pass paid leave laws. Over 25 locations have taken action on paid sick leave and 22 localities took action on paid family leave. California, Massachusetts, Oregon, and Vermont have all passed bills concerning this issue, joining Connecticut, which did so in 2011. Philadelphia, Chicago, Minneapolis, and St. Paul have joined also trailblazers like San Francisco, Seattle, New York City, and the District of Columbia in requiring paid sick leave for folks working in their cities. Businesses have heeded the call, too, and some businesses now require their suppliers to provide paid sick leave as well.”
Our attorneys at The Melton Law Firm can provide legal services to our clients in Austin and other areas of Texas, handle employment law cases such as retaliation and wage disputes cases, among other things. Speak with a qualified member of our legal team by calling our offices today at (512) 330-0017.
In a 6-2 decision, the United States Supreme Court on Tuesday, March 22, affirmed a federal court’s decision to certify the claims of former and current employees at a Tyson Foods pork processing plant as a class action. They accused the company of not paying them for the time they spent putting on and checking their safety gear while at work.
The high court upheld a $5.8 million judgment against Tyson under the Fair Labor Standards Act and an Iowa wage statute.
David Frederick, the Tyson employees’ legal counsel, stated in an interview with Bloomberg the ruling is relevant because it establishes that representative proof is enough methodology to certify class action lawsuits, a point which wasn’t clear until after the court’s decision.
An employer’s maltreatment – in any known form – of his employees should not go unpunished as this treatment hinders the professional growth of an employee while also compromising his well-being. Call our attorneys at The Melton Law Firm in Austin, Texas by dialing (512) 330-0017 today to pursue legal action against responsible parties.
The United States Department of Labor reported on October 23 that AT&T Prime Communications, an authorized dealer for AT&T wireless communication plans and products, must pay $122,254 in back wages to roughly 255 former and current employees after the Labor department investigated it for alleged wage violations.
According to the department, the company violated wage regulations by not including commissions earned by hourly paid employees when computing for overtime pay.
Cynthia Watson, regional administrator for the Labor department’s wage and hour division in the Southwest, said that the Fair Labor Standards Act has been in place for 75 years, and all employers should have been fully aware of the regulations. The FLSA offers many protections for the rights of workers, including overtime, minimum wage, and accurate record-keeping.
AT&T Prime Communications operates 385 outlets in 17 states.
If you believe your employer has violated your rights in any way, contact the attorneys at the The Melton Law Firm in Austin today by calling (512) 330-0017 to learn about your legal options.
