Close

Articles Posted in Third Circuit Employment Law 101

Updated:

Citing Harry Potter, Third Circuit requires employers to pay non-exempt workers for short breaks.

Yep, Harry Potter. On Friday, the Third Circuit of Appeals issued a precedential Fair Labor Standards Act opinion. The issue was whether the FLSA requires employers to compensate employees for breaks of 20 minutes or less after they log off their computers and are free from any work duties. I…

Updated:

In the Third Circuit, willful FLSA violations are as common as spotting a unicorn sliding down a rainbow into a leprechaun’s pot of gold as pigs fly by.

If an employer violates the Fair Labor Standards Act, like by not paying overtime, the plaintiff(s) can generally recover two years of unpaid overtime for the two years preceding the lawsuit. Those plaintiffs may also recover liquidated damages equal to the unpaid overtime. So, if an employer owes $100 in…

Updated:

On John Cusack, Pink Floyd, Title IX, and medical residencies.

Serendipity may be one of the worst movies of all time. Of this, I am sure. Then again, I can’t stand John Cusack movies, especially that pretentious piece of one-know-what, High Fidelity. But, I’m not writing today to bash John Cusack. And, I’m not made of stone. Hot Tub Time Machine was…

Updated:

A lesson on non-competes: What you don’t know, can’t hurt you. Until it does.

Ready, fire, aim. That’s the approach that many employers take when seeking to enforce a covenant not to compete with a former employee. Ready, fire, aim. When there’s a even a whisper that a former employee has gone to work for a competitor, the former employer often rushes into court,…

Updated:

3d Cir: Even where old folks are treated fairly, OLDER folks can bring age-bias claims

You’ll have to pardon the headline. I’m not nearly as articulate as the Third Circuit was in yesterday’s opinion in Karlo v. Pittsburgh Glass Works, LLC, using words like “cognizable” and “disproportionate adverse impact.” And, even though the Third Circuit sits in Philadelphia, you won’t find local lingo like “old…

Updated:

3d Cir: Employers cannot use paid meal breaks to offset unpaid overtime

A few weeks ago, I blogged here about a federal agency — one that rhymes with EEOB — reaching a 7-figure settlement with its workers of alleged Fair Labor Standards Act overtime violations involving comp time. Last week, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals issued an opinion, in which it…

Updated:

How you know when to pay employees on meal breaks

How was your Thanksgiving? Survive Black Friday? (In case you’re wondering about a gift for me, no. Yes. Heck, yes (asking for a friend)). Me? I almost left my kids on the North Pole as I counted the minutes until Monday. But, overall, I enjoyed a few days off. Now, it’s back to work. *** Sips…

Updated:

Your temporary workers can probably sue you for discrimination

Last week, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals daintily dabbed the Cheez Whiz from their cheeseteak holes and voted provolone out of Philadelphia took up the issue of whether a company with which a staffing company places temporary workers can be sued for discrimination. In a word, yes. Well, actually, ***…

Updated:

A suspension with pay is not discrimination, you guys.

[Editor’s Note: The employer in this post is a client; although, I did not represent this client in this case]. Yesterday, in Jones v. Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, for the first time ever, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals recognized that a suspension with pay is not an “adverse employment action” under the…

Updated:

Third Circuit Employment Law 101: Independent Contractor or Employee

Back when I first started this blog, when I believed that my blogging success would translate into Aston Martins and beach homes, rather than “Can you please email me a copy of your FMLA PowerPoint?”, I had a series of “Third Circuit Employment Law 101” posts. Well, I don’t think I’ve…