Q: I operate a hotel in New Jersey and heard New Jersey law now requires me to provide panic devices to certain hotel employees. What do I need to know?

A: New Jersey recently enacted legislation that requires hotel employers to provide a “panic button” to individuals “performing housekeeping or…

Q: I heard New York is changing its rules around tip credits for some types of employees. What do I need to know?

A:  A tip credit is a concept permitted under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”) and many state laws.  A tip credit allows employers to pay employees a cash wage of less than the minimum wage and take a tip credit up to a set amount.  For example, under the FLSA, employers can pay tipped employees a minimum cash wage of $2.13 per hour, and take a tip credit of $5.12 per hour.  If employees receive less than $5.12 an hour in tips, the employer must pay the employee the difference so that an employee always earns at least $7.25 (the minimum wage) per hour.  Regardless of whether an employer takes a tip credit, all tips are the property of the employee.  So, if an employer takes a tip credit and the employee makes more than $5.12 per hour in tips, the additional amount belongs to the tipped employee.

We are pleased to announce that Troutman Sanders and Pepper Hamilton have agreed to merge effective April 1, 2020. The new law firm, Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP, or “Troutman Pepper,” will have more than 1,100 attorneys in 23 offices across the country.

Each firm brings a breadth and…

The start of a new year is a great time for employers to look ahead for changes in the law that will affect their organizations. In this blog post, we will lay out some of the key issues that employers can expect to encounter in the year ahead.

  1. Exempt Salary

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Q: What is the current rule on whether an employee can use our company’s email system to distribute union material? Also, are we permitted to require employees to keep workplace investigations confidential without running afoul of the National Labor Relations Act?

A: There are actually two issues that arise from…

Beginning January 1, 2020, California law (known as AB 51) makes it a criminal misdemeanor for employers to require arbitration as a condition of employment. The law specifically prohibits mandatory arbitration of claims under the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (such as for discrimination, harassment, and retaliation) and claims…

Now that Black Friday has passed and Christmas lights are up, the winter holiday shopping season is in full swing.  And while you may have survived or even avoided the perils of shopping for the best deals in frenzied environments, there is another type of shopping that lurks for employers:…