NPR reports: Can’t put your BlackBerry down? Your boss may come to dread that if you’re working while you’re off the clock. A police sergeant in Chicago is suing the city. He says he’s due plenty of overtime back pay because he logged in on his BlackBerry to continue working…
Articles Posted in Wage and Hour Law
New York Times Reports: Lawyer Sues Firm for Failing to Pay Overtime — Our ChIcago Overtime Attorneys File Class Actions to Obtain Unpaid Overtime
Lawyer Sues Firm for Failing to Pay Overtime By JOHN ELIGON Published: July 7, 2010 This article discusses a claim that a New York law firm did not pay time-and-a-half to a temporary attorney employee who worked more than 40 hours a week. The lawsuit is part of growing…
In Contentious Case, Ninth Circuit Rules Commute Time Not Compensable Under Federal Law
A California wage and hour ruling caught the attention of our Illinois employment rights attorneys because it caused substantial dissent and inspired a replacement decision more than six months after its original opinion was published. Rutti v. Lojack Corporation Inc., No. 07-56599 (9th. Cir. March 2, 2010) concerned whether…
Existence of Individual Damages Does Not Preclude Predominating Class Issues, Appeals Court Rules
A recent California state appeals court decision caught the eyes of our Chicago employment class action attorneys because it addressed fine distinctions in class certification. In Jaimez v. Daiohs USA, 2010 Cal. App. LEXIS 156 (Feb. 8, 2010), California’s Second District Court of Appeal ruled that a trial court…
Public Safety Employers Need Not Notify Workers About Work Period Exemption From FLSA
Our Naperville wage and hour rights attorneys noted a recent ruling out of Massachusetts that could be important for police officers and firefighters around the United States. In Calvao et al. v. Town of Framingham, No. 09-1648 (1st.Cir. March 17, 2010), the First U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled…
Connecticut Court Agrees to Enforce Default Labor Rights For Tobacco Farmworkers Judgment From Puerto Rico
As Illinois wage and hour rights attorneys, we were interested in a decision establishing the scope of state courts’ right to enforce judgments obtained in other states under the Constitution’s “full faith and credit” clause. Nazario et al. v. O.J. Thrall Inc., et al., 1996 WL 285541 (Conn.Super. 1996)…
Chicago Tribune Reports That Illinois is Set to Enact a New Wage Theft Prevention Statute — Our Chicago Overtime and Wage Claim Lawyers File Civil Suits to Fight Wage Theft
The Chicago Tribune Reports that Illinois is set to institute long needed additional legistlation to protect employees from wage theft. You can view the article here. The article discusses that wage theft has become a widespread problem that needs to be remedied. It states: Ismael and Efren Sanchez, both…
Supreme Court Clarifies Diversity Jurisdiction Standard in Wage and Hour Case
A little-noticed U.S. Supreme Court decision from this year will have an important effect on the work of our Illinois wage and hour class action lawyers. In Hertz Corp. v. Friend et al., No. 08-1107, __ S. Ct. __ (Feb. 23, 2010), the court ruled that the “principal place…
Appeals Court Reverses Denial of Class Certification in Unpaid Wages Claim
In a wage-and-hour class action, the Illinois Second District Court of Appeal reversed all parts of a Kane County trial court’s ruling denying class certification. Our Chicago unpaid overtime lawyers were interested to read the ruling in Cruz et al v. Unilock Chicago, Inc., 383 Ill.App.3d 752, 892 N.E.2d…
To Preserve Your Class Numbers, File Those Class-Certification Motions ASAP!
Lubin Austermuehle is a litigation firm with many local clients in the Chicago-land area. Our Oak Park wage and hour attorneys recently came across an interesting case about a class-action filed in the circuit court of Cook County. Lewis v. Giordano’s Enterprises Inc. pits Plaintiff Mina Lewis, an hourly employee,…