Last month, in the case of Solis v. El Matador, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois ordered restaurant owners Dolores and Ricardo Onate to pay over $1 Million to workers they employed at two restaurants in Decatur, Illinois. The workers were employed as servers and kitchen staff, and the Court found that their […]

To save money, employers often require their employees to engage in uncompensated work activities, otherwise known as “off the clock” work. For example, employers may refuse to compensate employees for the time they spend working during breaks, traveling during their workday, working after hours or at home, performing pre-shift preparation activities, or putting on and

On Thursday, June 2, 2011, Riggan Law Firm, LLC, a St. Louis overtime law firm–in connection with The Law Offices of Kevin J. Dolley–filed a lawsuit against St. Louis-based Rabo Agrifinance, Inc. on behalf of its former employee, John DiMartino. The lawsuit claims unlawful retaliation in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act, and alleges that

On Friday, May 27, 2011, Riggan Law Firm, LLC, a St. Louis overtime law firm–in connection with Crone & McEvoy PLC, a Memphis overtime law firm–filed a class/collective action wage and hour lawsuit against Roark Travel Service Network, LLC, which is a company that sells vacation packages in Branson, Missouri. The lawsuit alleges violations of state

A frequently litigated employment law issue is whether computer professionals are entitled to overtime pay (at the rate of one and half times their regular rate) for all hours over 40 hours in a workweek. This issue is confronted often by overtime attorneys. In the current economy, information technology professionals typically work long hours, are called

In our current down economy, companies are resorting to many tactics to cut costs. One of these methods has been to require employees to engage in uncompensated work activities, otherwise known as “off the clock” work. Common examples include working during unpaid breaks, uncompensated travel time, uncompensated work after hours and/or at home, pre-shift preparation

In a recent case, a group of exotic (nude) dancers sued a gentlemen’s club for its failure to pay them minimum wage under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”). As explained in more detail below, the Court found that the exotic dancers were employees of the club (instead of independent contractors), and therefore, that the club violated the

Historically, under the Fair Labor Standards Act, Pharmaceutcal Sales Representatives (PSRs) have been deemed not to be entitled to overtime pay. However, a number of recent developments in federal law have reversed that course and led to PSRs’ entitlement to overtime pay. These developments are significant for two primary reasons: (1) PSRs typically work substantial amounts

The Fair Labor Standards Act and many state laws require employers to provide premium pay (one and a half times the regular hourly rate) to employees for all hours over 40 hours in a workweek. Independent contractors are an exception to this rule, and therefore, are not entitled to overtime pay. However, employers often misclassify workers as independent