Law and Politics in Employee Classification

As has been widely reported, the U.S. Department of Labor issued an “opinion letter” yesterday concluding that an unnamed “virtual marketplace company” does not employ the workers who make the company …

DOL Wage and Hour Letter to Virtual Marketplace Company re Employment Status

The letter was written for an unnamed “virtual marketplace company” that operates in the gig economy. DOL described a VMC as an online and/or smartphone-based referral service that connects service …

Labor Dept. Says Workers at a Gig Company Are Contractors

The Labor Department weighed in Monday on a question whose answer could be worth billions of dollars to gig-economy companies as they begin selling shares to the public: Are their workers employees …

Opinion: Does the law protect the LGBTQ community from discrimination? It should be an easy answer.

The Supreme Court decided Monday to hear a trio of cases addressing a long-disputed and critically important question: whether discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity is prohibited under the Civil …

SCOTUS Weighing LGBTQ Workers’ Rights: What’s At Risk

This morning, the Supreme Court granted cert. in three cases asking whether Title VII of the Civil Rights Act’s prohibition on workplace discrimination based on sex also prohibits discrimination against LGBTQ workers. The Court …

Nestle Class Action Says Chocolate Comes From Child Slave Labor

A Nestle class action lawsuit alleges that the candy company uses child slave labor to produce its chocolate, despite claims that its products are sustainably sourced. Plaintiff Renee Walker says she …

Supreme Court to take up cases on gay and transgender rights in the workplace

The Supreme Court has agreed to take up a set of high-profile cases involving gay rights and the rights of transgender people in the workplace. The justices announced Monday that …

Renee Walker v Nestlé USA

Plaintiff claims that Nestlé’s deceptive labeling misleads consumers into believing their products are procured in accordance with environmentally and socially responsible standards, when it knows they are not. Plaintiff seeks, among …

Colorado Could Be The Next State To Let Its Employees Collectively Bargain

For years, Colorado state workers have sought the right to collectively bargain. It looks like Democratic lawmakers could make that happen this legislative session — if Gov. Jared Polis goes …

Saipan casino to pay $3M for construction worker wage claims

Court documents say a Saipan casino developer will pay $3 million to settle U.S. Department of Labor claims that construction workers weren’t paid minimum wages and overtime. A consent judgment …

CLOSE