Wage and Hour Issues

INCREASE IN MINIMUM WAGE ON LONG ISLAND AND WESTCHESTER COUNTY

The minimum wage increased on December 31, 2020 on Long Island as well as Westchester County from $13.00 per hour to $14.00 per hour. All employees must be paid at least that amount of monies per hour for all hours worked, plus time-and-a-half for overtime. Feather Law Firm, P.C. strongly urges all employers to pay …

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Equal Pay Protections Expanded

In late 2019, New York State expanded equal pay protections to employees of all classes and characteristics covered by the State’s anti-discrimination in the workplace law. As a result, pay discrimination claims can be based not only on gender, as the prior law had mandated, but also age, race, creed, color, national origin, sexual orientation, …

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Salary Threshold for Exempt Employees Increased as of December 31, 2019

In order to be considered exempt from overtime in New York State, an employee must earn a minimum salary. That minimum has increased as of December 31, 2019. In 2020, in order to be considered exempt from overtime, an employee working for a New York City employer will have to earn a minimum of $1,125 …

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Federal Overtime Threshold Increases on January 1, 2020

Effective January 1, 2020, the federal white-collar exemption, which was $455.00 per week ($23,660.00 annually) in 2019, will be raised to $684.00 per week ($35,568.00 annually).  Any employee under the $35,568.00 limit will be deemed a non-exempt, hourly wage earner eligible for overtime.  In addition, the threshold for the exemption for highly compensated employees – …

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NEW YORK CITY’S NEW PAYCHECK FAIRNESS ACT

A new New York City law, set to go into effect in October, 2017, will bar employers within the five boroughs from asking job candidates about their salary history. The law is meant to address the issue of pay inequality between men and women, as well as wage discrimination against minorities.  In 2015, women earned …

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FEDERAL COURT PUTS A BRAKE ON NEW OVERTIME RULES

A federal district court in Texas has issued a preliminary injunction regarding the United States Department of Labor’s (USDOL’s) new federal overtime rule.  The new rule, which is set to double the Fair Labor Standards Act’s (FLSA’s) salary threshold for employees deemed exempt from overtime pursuant to the executive, administrative, and professional exemptions, was set to go …

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NEW YORK STATE’S MINIMUM WAGE INCREASES

As of December 31, 2015, New York State’s minimum wage is now $9.00 per hour. The minimum wage for “tipped” employees in the hospitality industry is $7.50 as of December 31, 2015. The minimum wage for tipped employees in all other industries, except the building service industry, is $7.65 per hour when tips total at …

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NEW YORK MINIMUM WAGE SET TO RISE ON JANUARY 1, 2015

As we head into the end of 2014, New York State employers should begin preparing for the minimum wage hike. On December 31, 2014, the statewide hourly minimum wage for non-exempt (i.e., hourly) employees will rise from $8.00 to $8.75 (and then to $9.00 on December 31, 2015).  Just as significantly, the minimum weekly salary for certain exempt employees …

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MOBILE DEVICES AND OVERTIME

Under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), nonexempt employees must be paid overtime compensation for work they perform for their employer’s benefit in excess of forty (40) hours in any workweek. Work performed remotely, such as responding to e-mails on a smartphone or drafting a report on a laptop at home, could push an employee’s work hours …

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NEW YORK LAW ON UNEMPLOYMENT TAXES TOOK EFFECT ON JANUARY 1, 2014

A new law which went into effect on January 1, 2014, increased New York employers’ contributions to the state’s unemployment compensation program. Earlier in 2013, legislation was enacted in response to the insolvency of the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund and the state’s need to repay $3.5 billion borrowed from the federal government to cover increased …

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