Announcing 2023’s Worst Employer

The votes have been counted. The WINNER of The Worst Employer of 2023 is...

🏆 The Child Labor Abuser 🏆

This is what it looks like to kick a business while it’s down

Last week, Corky & Lenny's, a deli that has been a local institution for the past 67 years, closed its doors. The owners cited staffing shortages and burnout as the primary causes.

Just three days later, one of its former employees filed a collective action lawsuit under the Fair Labor Standards Act for unpaid wages against the business and its owners. The named plaintiff, who worked as a server at the restaurant, claims that the business automatically deducted 30 minutes per shift for lunch for all non-exempt employees regardless of whether they took their lunch breaks or worked through them. She further claims that the business no longer had any method for employees to report days on which they did not take a lunch break, and otherwise ignored complaints of unpaid wages.

Denying gender-affirming health care to transgender employees is unlawful discrimination

Morgan Mesi, a transgender man, has just sued his former employer, Tenzing Wine & Spirits, along with his labor union and group health plan, claiming that they discriminated against him because of his sex by denying medical insurance coverage for gender-affirming care.

To me, Bostock v. Clayton Cty. clearly resolves this issue. In Bostock, SCOTUS held that Title VII's prohibition of sex discrimination also prohibits discrimination because of an employee's sexual orientation or gender identity. Indeed, Bostock could not have been clearer regarding the treatment of transgender employees: "[a]n individual's … transgender status is not relevant to employment decisions."

WIRTW #699: the “Mackrell” edition

One of my primary business development goals for 2023 was for Wickens Herzer Panza to join a law firm network.

Mission accomplished!

WHP is the new Ohio member firm for Mackrell International. MI is a strongly connected, vetted, and trusted network of more than 4,500 lawyers across 90+ independent law firms and 170+ offices worldwide. Instantly, WHP transforms from a stalwart mid-size local firm to an international conglomerate with access to thousands of trusted lawyers across the country and around the globe.

We at WHP couldn't be more excited for what this new relationship means to us and our clients. Becoming part of the MI family and expanding our platform outside of our state to a national and international scale significantly adds to our capabilities and our ability to service our clients.

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Here's what I read this week that you should read, too.

Coincidence ≠ causation

An employer terminates a group of 14 employees within six weeks after learning that they were discussing unionizing.

Despite the timing of the mass termination of these employees, the 8th Circuit — in Strategic Technology Institute v. NLRB — reversed and concluded that anti-union animus did not motivate the terminations. 

WIRTW #698: the “heads will roll” edition

It's not every day that John Oliver happens to feature one of your Worst Employer nominees the very same week that you open the polls to vote for said Worst Employer. 

The video:

* The John Oliver story is not an endorsement of this employer as the Worst Employer of 2023. 

If you want to have your say on who should win, make sure to vote prior to Wed., 12/13 at 11:59 pm eastern time.

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Here's what I read this week that you should read, too.

A lesson in how NOT to testify

Congresswoman Elise Stefanik: Ms. Magill at Penn, does calling for the genocide of Jews violate Penn's rules or code of conduct? Yes or no?

UPenn President Liz Magill: If the speech turns into conduct, it can be harassment. Yes.

Stefanik: I am asking, specifically calling for the genocide of Jews, does that constitute bullying or harassment?

Magill: If it is directed, and severe, pervasive, it is harassment.

Stefanik: So the answer is yes.

Magill: It is a context dependent decision, Congresswoman.

Stefanik: It's a context dependent decision. That's your testimony today, calling for the genocide of Jews is depending upon the context, that is not bullying or harassment. This is the easiest question to answer. Yes, Ms. Magill. So is your testimony that you will not answer yes? Yes or no?

Magill: If the speech becomes conduct. It can be harassment, yes.

Stefanik: Conduct meaning committing the act of genocide. The speech is not harassment. This is unacceptable. Ms. Magill, I'm gonna give you one more opportunity for the world to see your answer. Does calling for the genocide of Jews violate Penn's Code of Conduct when it comes to bullying and harassment? Yes or no?

Magill: It can be harassment.

Stefanik: The answer is yes.

It’s illegal for gay people to discriminate against straight people … just not on these facts in this case

There is no such thing as "reverse" discrimination. Discrimination is discrimination, whether the victim is, for example, Black or white, female or male, gay or straight. When the employee claiming discrimination is in the majority, however, in the 6th Circuit they must not only show disparate treatment, but also must show "background circumstances to support the suspicion that the defendant is that unusual employer who discriminates against the majority."

Which brings us to the story of Marlean Ames, a straight woman who sued the Ohio Department of Youth Services for sex discrimination under Title VII claiming that her lesbian supervisor discriminated against her because of her sexual orientation. Ames claimed that OHYS passed her over for a promotion, demoted her, and promoted a gay man to her former position.

VOTE for the Worst Employer of 2023

It's the most wonderful time of the year. I've made my list. I've checked it twice. Now it's time to find out who's naughtiest and not very nice. It's voting time for The Worst Employer of 2023.

I've culled my list of 10 nominees down to the worst 7 as finalists. 

It’s called family and medical LEAVE for a reason.

According to Above the Law, however, one Biglaw firm recently reminded its employees that they need to check their daily emails while out on leave.

There is ample time in the day for everyone on leave to monitor their emails daily and to forward any emails requiring attention to the appropriate members of the litigation team. If you are someone who has not been monitoring your emails daily, please do so as soon as possible. If, for any reason, you are unable to perform this minimal task on a regular basis, please advise.

This is not just a terrible employee relations practice, it's also potentially illegal.

WIRTW #697: the “independent study” edition

Younger Jon would have never believed that Older Jon has two children in private school. I'm a proud survivor of the School District of Philadelphia, which provided me a high-quality education that positioned me well for college and career.

And yet, here I am with two children attending a K-12 independent private school. It's the best possible choice I could have made for either of them. Here's one example as to why.

My daughter, Norah, plans to major in early childhood education in college in preparation for a career as an elementary school teacher. Last year, she mentored in the Lower School by helping out in the 2nd and 3rd grade classrooms during her free periods. This year, however, a modernization of the school's daily schedule eliminated that opportunity.

Instead of giving up something she loves (working with the younger children), she pitched to the Upper School administration the idea of an independent study for the first semester of her senior year. The school wholeheartedly agreed.

For the past three-plus months, Norah independently researched early childhood education and development (specifically, the impact of tone of voice in the classroom), compiled that research into a paper, and designed and taught a lesson plan for the third grade.

Earlier this week, Norah presented her independent study to the Lower School faculty. Watching her professionally and confidently present her research and classroom experience was one of my best parental moments. It's a testament to her and the education she has received for the past 13 years at Lake Ridge Academy.

Norah is going to make a wonderful elementary school teacher, and I couldn't be prouder.

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Here's what I read this week that you should read, too.

Does it matter where you place an employee’s lactation space? (tl;dr: yes.)

An employee works as a speech-language pathologist in a large, metropolitan school district, traveling between two elementary schools and a high school. After giving birth, she requests a private space for lactation within each assigned school. The school district agrees, but the private space it provides to her in the high school was on a different floor than her work area.

Is this legal? Did this employer meet is legal obligations regarding the provision of a "private lactation space?"

This case perfectly illustrates religious accommodations post-Groff

Elimelech Shmi Hebrew is a devout follower of the Hebrew Nation, a religion that requires its followers to keep their hair and beard long — a vow he has kept for over two decades.

The Department of Criminal Justice has a grooming policy that prohibits male officers without medical skin conditions from having beards and in any case from having long hair.

Hebrew applies for a job as a corrections officer with DCJ. What wins out — Hebrew's religion or DCJ's grooming policy?

Craft beer isn’t facing an apocalypse … but the industry is changing

In addition to running the employment & labor practice at Wickens Herzer Panza, I also run our burgeoning craft beer practice. Which is why a recent article in Paste Magazine — "For Many Craft Breweries, the Apocalypse is Now" — caught my attention.

Here's the author's thesis:

The tragic breaking point for major brewery closures is no longer "coming soon." It's a macabre event that has been framed as something perpetually on the horizon for years, but there's no use in denying it anymore–the great die-off is here. It's now. The culling of the herd is underway in 2023, and simply making great beer is no guarantee of survival.

I wholeheartedly disagree. I do not believe that craft beer is facing an "apocalypse." 

I do believe, however, that a combination of the lingering impact of Covid (staffing shortages, rising inflation, and higher interest rates) plus changing consumer tastes means that craft beer's salad days are over.

So, what does this mean for our industry?

WIRTW #696: the “thankful” edition

Next week we celebrate Thanksgiving, my favorite holiday of the year. There will be turkey, stuffing, wine, and as many pies as there will be people at our feast (which, for the record, is 32 at last count).

None of that, however, tells the story of why Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. That reason is family. It's the one time of the year when my entire Ohio family is guaranteed to be together in one place at one time. Laughs and good times are guaranteed.

Some years are more challenging than others. This year brought us struggles, loss, and a house flood. It’s important that Thanksgiving comes when it does — close to year’s end, but before we get lost in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. It’s a day to pause and reflect upon all for which we are thankful.

And I’m thankful for a lot, which starts and ends with my family (2-legged and 4-legged). At the end of the day, that’s all that matters.

Everyone have wonderful Thanksgiving.

Here's what I read this week that you should read, too.

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Do you understand the rules for paying employees for commuting time?

A technician claims her employer owes her pay for time spent traveling to the office to pick up materials on the way to the airport for a flight to visit a customer. According to the employee, the employer only begins paying at the departure time of the scheduled flight.

Is this employee correct? Must an employer pay for that travel time? Is she owed wages for time spent commuting to the airport (including the time spent traveling to the office to pick up the samples)? Or does the law permit the employer to start the pay clock when she boards the flight?

The most metal employment law update ever!

Two of the most famous bands in the history of heavy metal are each facing lawsuits from former tour workers.

The family of a Kiss guitar tech, who died while quarantining in 2021 after contracting Covid while on tour with the band, is suing the band for wrongful death. According to a prior investigation by Rolling Stone, Kiss allegedly maintained lax Covid protocols on the tour in question — including a lack of testing and lots of crew members falling ill — that contributed to the roadie's death.

Meanwhile, an ex-tour photographer is suing Guns N' Roses for copyright infringement and sexual harassment. She claims that the band claimed ownership over numerous of her photos and used them in print and digital media, ad campaigns, and other outlets. She also alleges that the band's manager made "numerous unwelcome sexual advances" toward her and "committed consistent pervasive sexual harassment" in a "workplace environment that was completely devoid of any sexual harassment policy, sexual harassment handbook, sexual harassment training, and human resource department."

If you’re going to change an employee’s time sheet, make sure it’s an accurate change

🟩 LEGAL: Disciplining or firing a non-exempt employee who works unauthorized overtime.

🟥 ILLEGAL: Failing to pay a non-exempt employee for all hours worked, whether authorized or unauthorized.

🟩 LEGAL: Altering a non-exempt employee's time sheet so that it accurately reflects the actual number of hours worked.

🟥 ILLEGAL: Altering a non-exempt employee's time sheet to reflect a flat 40 hours per work week, no matter how many hours the employee actually worked.

A lawsuit recently filed against Liberty University will test each of these legal principles.

WIRTW #695: the “cover” edition

Earlier this week, I used the song "Pass the Kutchie" to illustrate Ohio's new recreational marijuana law. Some commenters were quick to point out that the song is called "Pass the Dutchie," not "Pass the Kutchie." Except it's not. "Pass the Kutchie" is a 1981 Jamaican reggae song by the Mighty Diamonds about Rastafarian cannabis pipes. One year later, Musical Youth covered that song and made it famous. Because they were all children, however, they replaced the song’s drug slang with “dutchie,” a food reference.

Coincidentally, this week the AV Club published lists of the 25 best and 25 worst cover songs of all time. All of this got me thinking about my favorite cover songs. Here are my top 5:

1. The White Stripes  "Jolene"
2. Sinead O’Connor — "Nothing Compares 2 U"
3. Johnny Cash — "Hurt" 
4. Janis Joplin — "Me and Bobby McGee"
5. Talking Heads — "Take Me to the River"

What about your favorite covers? Head over to LinkedIn and drop a comment to let me know.

Here's what I read this week that you should read, too.

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Ohio voters decide to pass the kutchie on the left hand side

By a margin of 57% to 43%, voters legalized recreational marijuana. As a result, recreational cannabis will become legal in the Buckeye State on December 7, 2023.

Employers have lots of questions about how to handle this change. Here are answers to the top 5 questions I anticipate receiving over the coming days, weeks, and months.

DEI programs continue to be a lawsuit target

Major League Baseball. NASCAR. Starbucks. McDonald’s. Morgan Stanley, American, United and Southwest Airlines. America First Legal, a conservative group led by Stephen Miller, has targeted each of these for their “illegal” practices of hiring non-Whites and females.

In its most recent letter to the EEOC, urging it to investigate American Airlines, AFL cited the following as evidence of “unlawful employment practices” —

Your business is not a charity

Your customers are not your bank. It’s not their job to bail you out from poor business decisions.

I’ve been thinking a lot about this idea as I’ve been following the recent news from R. Shea Brewing.

Here’s the Cliffs Notes version of what’s happened.

From 2015 - 2019, R. Shea was a small local brewery. In 2019, it opened a much larger, 60,000 square-foot second location, which enabled it to significantly expand its production and operations. That expansion, however, also included a vast expansion of its debt, to the tune of a $2 million SBA loan. A combination of the lingering impacts of Covid, rising wages and production costs, and skyrocketing interest rates have created a situation in which R. Shea in now unable to service that debt.

As a result, it just launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise … wait for it … $2.3 million. Thus far, it’s raised approximately $17,000.

WIRTW #694: the “trick-or-treat” edition

I have a bone to pick with one of my neighbors. When my kids returned home on Tuesday night and opened their trick-or-treat bags, they found this DVD.

Your religion is your religion. I don't tell you how to practice yours, and in return I expect you not to tell me or my children how to practice ours. I don't need to tell you how awful the world is right now about religion. The last thing we need is neighbors proselytizing neighbors. Halloween isn't difficult. Kids ring doorbell. Door opens. Candy goes into bag, bucket, or other candy-carrying vessel. Let's keep it that way.

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Here's what I read (and heard) this week that you should read, too.

Maybe don’t forge texts if you want to win a lawsuit?

Andrea Rossbach, a registered nurse working at Montefiore Medical Center, claimed that her supervisor, Norman Morales, sexually harassed her. In support of her claim, she relied on a series of sexually harassing text messages Morales allegedly sent her, including messages in which he called her "hot," asked her to send him a photo of a G-string he gifted her.

Rossbach's claim, however, had one huge problem — the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals concluded that those text messages did not exist. She created them after the fact to use as evidence in her claim.

At her deposition, Rossbach testified that she could not produce screen shots of the text messages because she had initially received them on an old iPhone with a badly cracked screen, and that instead she had to take a photo of the texts with a newer iPhone X, which she had also later disposed of. 

Does your workplace have a written AI policy?

The White House has unveiled the first-ever executive order on artificial intelligence (AI).

According to the White House, "The Executive Order establishes new standards for AI safety and security, protects Americans' privacy, advances equity and civil rights, stands up for consumers and workers, promotes innovation and competition, advances American leadership around the world, and more."

NLRB publishes (yet another) new joint employment rule

If at first (or second, or third…) you don't succeed, try, try again. That certainly seems to be the NLRB's mantra as it relates to its joint employment rule.

Joint employment is when one employer is responsible for the legal sins of another because of a commonality of employees. Under the standard newly announced by the NLRB, an entity may be considered a joint employer of a group of employees if each entity has an employment relationship with the employees and they share or codetermine one or more of the employees' following terms and conditions of employment:

WIRTW #693: the “tough out” edition

If you've been following along these past few weeks with the trials of the Lake Ridge Academy soccer team, I have some sad news to share. Earlier this week they fell 2-0 in the district semifinals to a quality opponent, ending their season. It was a hard-fought match, scoreless for 65 minutes. There were lots of tears in my car after the game. The team set a goal, of which they fell a couple of games short. That said, it was the best soccer season this team has had in 15 years.

Donovan had an amazing experience. He fully embraced being one of the "soccer boys," and is already thinking about his sophomore season. "220 days until practice starts," he told me the next morning. He's says he's going to start training ASAP with a personal goal of improving and gaining more playing time next year.

As for me, I've never been a sports parent before. I've always been a music parent (which y'all know I love). I'm happy to report that being a sports parent is pretty damn great. I loved everything about this team and this season. The wins and losses were the least import part. More importantly, I loved watching Donovan embrace being part of a team and the team embracing him as one of their own. Like D-man, I'm already ready for the 2024-25 season. 

Go Royals!

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Here's what I read this week that you should read, too.

Workplace harassment and employee assistance programs

Is it legal under the ADA to mandate that an employee accused of sexual harassment use the company's employee assistance program? That's the question being asked in a lawsuit the EEOC just filed against Weis Markets.

Do politics and work mix? A poll.

Do politics and work mix? That is the question being asked at Copper Blue Restaurant.

A half-dozen employees recently quit in protest after the owner posted a "Vote NO on Issue 1" sign in front of the restaurant. The resulting staffing shortage forced its temporary closure.

Issue 1 is a Nov. 7 ballot initiative that seeks to amend the Ohio's Constitution to grant women the right to an abortion.

Not surprisingly, the issue is polarizing.

Kickbacks are bad

It's one thing to settle an unpaid overtime claim; it's another entirely to shake down your employees to repay the settlement funds to you.

That's exactly what the Department of Labor claimed Sparklean Laundry and Piper did.

Following a DOL investigation, Sparklean agreed to pay unpaid overtime back wages to its employees. Shortly thereafter, it began demanding kickbacks from its employees to compensate for the overtime settlement, submitted false receipts to showing that it paid the recovered wages, and threatened workers for exercising their rights under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

As a result, the DOL went to court and obtained a $281,870 judgment, which included $87,735 in back wages, $94,135 in liquidated damages, and an additional $100,000 in punitive damages.

Is this what the future of union organizing looks like?

Last week, the employees of Creature Comforts Brewing Co. voted by a margin of 32-21 to reject the Brewing Union of Georgia as their bargaining representative and for their workplace to remain union-free. The National Labor Relations Board conducted and supervised the secret-ballot election, and the result presumes to reflect the choice of Creature Comforts' employees.

Except maybe that secret-ballot election is not the choice of Creature Comforts' employees?

I fully expect BUG to file a petition with the NLRB seeking a Cemex bargaining order. What is a Cemex bargaining order, you ask? 

WIRTW #692: the “hot diggity dog” edition

As parents, we live and die with the successes and failures of our children. We need to fully embrace the highs so that we have the stored capital to survive the lows. This past week brough me a couple of highs to share. 

First, last Saturday night, Norah took her musical talents eastward, to 8th Day Brewing Company. She played a killer 3-hour set, punctuated by the bar filling with a hot-dog themed bar crawl singalong for her final hour. 

Then, yesterday evening, Donovan's Lake Ridge Academy soccer team won their opening playoff game, defeating Waynedale 2-0. That's 1 down, 6 to go, on their march to a state title.

You can next watch Lake Ridge Academy try to continue their soccer season on Tuesday against Kidron Christian Academy, at a place and time tbd. Meanwhile, Norah will next gig at The Olde Wine Cellar on Friday, October 27, 2023. 

Everyone have a great weekend!

Failure to advise employer of a disability dooms employee’s ADA claim

True or false — An employer must always reasonably accommodate an employee’s disability if necessary to permit the employee to perform the essential functions of the job unless it causes an undue hardship on the employer?

Answer — False. An employer does not have an obligation to grant a reasonable accommodation that an employee never requests.

Case in point: Mueck v. La Grange Acquisitions.

Employers need to be more vigilant than ever with anti-Jewish and anti-Muslim bias

Not all Jews are Zionists colonizers, and not all Muslims are Hamas terrorists. In fact, most aren't. Moreover, you can oppose the policies or actions of the Israeli government without being antisemitic and oppose Hamas without being anti-Muslim.

Yet, the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas has brought the Israeli-Palestinian conflict front and center into our lives, and as a result also into our workplaces. You can't stop employees from talking about current events, especially when those events are so horrific and so impactful on so many of us. Your employees will be talking about what's happening in Israel and Gaza. The key for employers is to make sure those discussions remain calm and respectful.

Join me tomorrow: Tips on Tips webinar (free)

I spent my Saturday night at 8th Day Brewing Company watching my 17-year-old daughter, Norah, play a killer 3-hour set of music. When we sat down at our table, I was giddy to find the latest issue of The New Brewer, the bi-monthly trade magazine of the Brewers Assocation. That issue features my article on how to legally pay tipped employees.

Since access to the magazine and my article are for BA members only, you won't be able to read it if you're not a BA member (unless you happen to wander into a brewery that has it on display).

I can, however, offer you a great alternative. Tomorrow at 4 pm ET, I'm presenting Tips on Tips: How to Legally Pay Your Tipped Workers, a free webinar for the Craft Beer Professionals Fall Virtual Conference. You can watch live on the Craft Beer Professionals Facebook page or on its YouTube channel. 

WIRTW #691: the “football” edition

Today, I'd like to use this space to celebrate the Lake Ridge Academy soccer team. They just completed their best season in 15 years! As a result, they secured the second seed and a first round buy in their state tournament district. And yesterday, they demolished the top seed (and potential third round opponent) 5-0. 

I'd like to say that their success is all because Donovan joined the team this year. But I'm also a realist. They are just a really good group of teens who gelled very well as a team. 

The state tournament starts on Thursday against a team tbd, and I'll be sure to keep everyone updated on the Royals' march to the final four in Columbus.

Finally, for the locals, if you're looking for something to do on a rainy Saturday night, Norah is playing tomorrow from 6-9 at 8th Day Brewing Company in Chagrin Falls. 

Everyone have a great weekend!

Would you fire this employee?

International law firm Winston & Strawn has withdrawn its job offer to an NYU law student who published and distributed inflammatory comments regarding Hamas' recent terrorist attack on Israel.

Here's what this individual wrote:

I want to express, first and foremost, my unwavering and absolute solidarity with Palestinians in their resistance against oppression towards liberation and self-determination. Israel bears full responsibility for this tremendous loss of life. This regime of state-sanctioned violence created the conditions that made resistance necessary. I will not condemn Palestinian resistance.

The firm was swift in its decision:

These comments profoundly conflict with Winston & Strawn's values as a firm. Accordingly, the Firm has rescinded the law student's offer of employment.

“Misgendering” is NOT a thought-crime

The EEOC is NOT trying to make "misgendering" a thought-crime.

The agency recently proposed new Enforcement Guidance on Harassment in the Workplace. Contained with that guidance is the EEOC's legally correct statement that the "intentional and repeated use of a name or pronoun inconsistent with the individual's gender identity" could create a hostile work environment constituting unlawful sexual harassment. That interpretation of Title VII by the EEOC is consistent with judicial opinions dating back nearly a decade.

In response, Andrea Picciotti-Bayer, Director of the Conscience Project, wrote an op-ed on thehill.com taking the EEOC to task for its alleged "thought-policing."

Office lottery pools

More money, more problems. After 36 consecutive drawings without a winner, the next Powerball drawing has a prize of approximately $1.75 billion. Many workplaces will be organizing pools to buy as many chances as possible. With that much money on the line, however, if you’re office pool is lucky enough to win you’ll also probably be unlucky enough to be sued.

Everyone is your friend until you’re looking at nearly two billion dollars; then greed causes those friendships to go out the window and lawyers to be hired.

WIRTW #690: the “Lou-Lou-Lou-Lou-Loula” edition

On the latest episode of The Norah and Dad Show, Norah and I remember Loula, our beloved vizsla who died last week. Different people deal with grief and loss in different ways; for me, talking about her helped me deal with my grief, a lot.

You can listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Overcast, Castro (my podcast player of choice), on the web, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Rest periods v. Meal periods

Do you know the difference between a break period and a meal period during an employee's work day? It's an important distinction because one does not count as working time, while the other does.

Federal law does not require an employer to grant employees rest or meal periods during the work day. (Some states do require them depending on the total number of hours worked; mine, however, does not.)

Federal law does, however, provide for whether meal and rest breaks are counted as "hours worked." This distinction is important. If time is counted as "hours worked," it goes into the calculation of time worked during the work week for consideration of whether the employee has crossed the 40-hour threshold for overtime pay.

The one thing your business can do right now to cut your potential FLSA liability in half

Q: What is the one thing that your business can do RIGHT NOW to cut your potential FLSA liability in half?

A: Hire an employment lawyer to conduct a wage and hour audit.

Case in point: Hendricks v. Total Quality Logistics.

After 13(!) years of litigation, a federal judge recently ruled that TQL violated the Fair Labor Standards Act and must pay unpaid overtime to thousands of misclassified employees.

The judge also ruled that TQL must pay statutory liquidated damages under the FLSA in an amount to the unpaid overtime because TQL did not establish that it acted in good faith in (mis)classifying its employees.

How bad do wage and violations have to be for a federal judge to order you to sell your business? This bad.

A federal district court judge has ordered the owners and operators of 14 Subway restaurants to pay employees nearly $1 million in back wages and damages and further ordered them to sell or shut down their businesses within 60 days.

The wage and hour violations included:

Loula.

Thursday night, we made the very difficult decision to let our beloved family member, Loula Mae, go.

It was one of the hardest decisions we've ever had to make as a family.

She had too many not good things happening inside of her. After two days of testing the vet had no idea why her red blood cell levels kept dropping and not regenerating. There were also suspected cancer cell from a substantial mass that had suddenly formed under her armpit, which had quickly spread across her chest and down to her belly. The preliminary diagnosis was either cancer bleeding to her body causing the anemia, or the cancer triggering an autoimmune amenia.

Either way, all of the potentials were various degrees of awful. Thus, we made the painful decision to let her go instead of putting her through months of suffering with an uncertain outcome and only a small chance of her having any quality of life in the future.

WIRTW #689: the “134” edition

134. That's how many different available positions Costco offered to Monica Barnett over a nearly nine-month period in an effort to accommodate her knee and wrist injuries.

0. That's how many of the offered positions Monica Barnett applied for or requested placement.

1. That's the number of paragraphs it took the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to affirm the dismissal of Barnett's failure to reasonably accommodate claim. In the Court's words:

Barnett claims Costco refused to engage in good faith, "forced" her to remain on medical leave, and required her to be "100% healed" before returning to work. These assertions are unsupported by the record. The undisputed record demonstrates that Costco held three job assessment meetings, sent Barnett 134 available positions over more than eight months, and placed Barnett in an optical-assistant position that accommodated her limitations.

Sometimes, no matter how hard you try as an employer to do right by an employee, the employee is going to sue. In those cases, all you hope is that you have your i's dotted and t's crossed, all of your contemporaneously made documentation is in order, and a judge or jury will see the case for what it is and find in your favor.

Employees shouldn’t have to choose between their religion and their job

Is there any legitimate reason a concierge must be clean shaven as a condition of employment? That question is at the center of a new lawsuit the EEOC filed against Blackwell Security Services.

The EEOC alleges that a Blackwell supervisor told a Muslim hiree that it was company policy that all employees be clean shaven. When the employee requested an exemption from the policy to accommodate his religious practice, Blackwell told him to shave his beard or be terminated. To avoid losing his job, the employee complied and shaved his beard. The EEOC charge and its lawsuit followed.

The two main reasons why employers shouldn’t retaliate

Social media giant TikTok is in some legal hot water for its alleged mistreatment of its employees. According to NPR, two Black employees allege that TikTok fired them after they complained to HR about racial discrimination within the company.

WIRTW #688: the “(not) Progressives” edition

Misgendering a transgender employee + forcing him to out himself to his coworkers + passing him over for a promotion + subjecting him to an unwanted office transfer + scrutinizing his medical appointments and other time off + ignoring his three HR complaints = a jury trial for Progressive Insurance on claims of sexual harassment, discrimination, and retaliation.

According to the plaintiff, the first four years of his employment at Progressive were without incident, until he informed his supervisor of his intent to transition from female to male. That's when he alleges the mistreatment began, and continued for the final four years of his employment until he quit.

Transgender people are under attack. This lawsuit is a symptom of a much larger problem in workplaces across our country. Trans employees often experience discrimination, harassment, and a lack of understanding, including from their work colleagues and bosses. As an employer, it is important to create a safe and inclusive environment for all employees, including those who identify as transgender or gender nonconforming. Otherwise, you just might find yourself at a receiving end of a well-deserved and difficult-to-defend lawsuit. Just ask Progressive Insurance.

The case is John Doe v. Progressive Ins., and you can find the court's summary judgment opinion here.

Facebook Messenger and other alternative communication channels for attendance call-outs

An employee uses Facebook Messenger to notify his supervisor of a medical absence, ignoring the company's policy that requires employees to use a specific call-in line to notify their supervisor of a tardy or absence at least 30 minutes before their shift begins.

Are these absences FMLA-protected excused absences, or unexcused absences subject to termination?

In 2019, Kasey Roberts took six weeks of leave to undergo and recover from an emergency appendectomy, after notifying his supervisor via Facebook Messenger. A few days after returning, Roberts was hospitalized for a post-surgical infection. He again sent his supervisor several Facebook messages notifying of his absences.

After Roberts missed three more weeks of work, his employer fired him for job abandonment, claiming that all of his absences were unexcused since the call-in line, and not Facebook Messenger, was its "usual and customary" system for medical leave notice.

Let’s play FLSA error-spotting

Empire Diner pays its servers a tipped minimum wage of $2.83, the permissible tipped minimum wage in the state in which it's located, Pennsylvania. According to the company's payroll records, each employee earns more than the statutory minimum wage, $7.25 per hour.

So far, so good under the Fair Labor Standards Act. So where did Empire Diner make its FLSA mistakes, according to the 3rd Circuit?

The 10th nominee for the “Worst Employer of 2023” is … the jack(a$$) in the box

The EEOC recently filed a lawsuit against a Jack in the Box restaurant owned and operated by Eastbox LLC, alleging sexual harassment against teen and young adult female employees. 

The allegations are horrific.