Employment Legal News Articles & Interviews

Santa Ana, CA Papa John’s International has asked the Central District of California to approve a $3.4 million settlement to end a lawsuit that claimed the pizza chain failed to pay workers for required training time. The conduct described violates the Fair Labor Standards Act as well as wage requirements of New York and California labor law.

Chicago, IL On March 2 attorneys for Boeing, its 401k retirement plan and the plan’s investment committee asked the District Court for the Northern District of Illinois to dismiss Burke v. The Boeing Co. The defendants claim that Newport Trust Co., the plan’s investment manager, was solely responsible for any losses incurred by participants in the Boeing Voluntary Investment Plan (VIP) when the value of Boeing’s stock dropped in the aftermath of the 737 MAX 8 aircraft disasters. Newport was not named as a defendant in the ERISA lawsuit.

Sacramento, CA On March 19, Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered all Californians to stay home except for workers essential to health care, public safety, food, agriculture and media. Those who can work remotely may be juggling work and children. Laid off and furloughed workers are looking at reduced paychecks, even with the wage and benefit protections of federal and California labor law. Independent contractors and the self-employed may be looking at even worse circumstances.

San Francisco, CA Putting into place public health measures to deal with COVID-19 also raises a number of California labor law issues. Employers are scrambling to navigate a new workplace, which could mean their employees working from home. And employees are anxious to understand their legal rights. Here are the top FAQ’s asked by employees.

New York, NY Retirement plan participants who are concerned that plan administrators and service providers may be running the plan for their own benefit can extract three important lessons from Haley v. Teachers Ins. & Annuity Assoc. of America. First, the possibility that plan fiduciaries and record keepers may be engaged in self-dealing is a very hot topic. These ERISA lawsuits may involve thousands of retirement plans and exponentially more retirement savers. That many plaintiffs can spell huge liability for those who manage a plan. Second, the success of these lawsuits depends on being granted class action status; and finally, the issue of who is a fiduciary and why it matters is often central when it comes to allegations of self-dealing.

San Francisco, CA On March 3, PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP (PwC) offered to settle a lawsuit brought under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) and California labor law. The lawsuit claims the accounting giant systematically discriminated against job applicants older than 40. The settlement offer includes payment of $11.625 million and a promise to remedy discriminatory hiring practices in the future.

Richmond, CA Blue Apron workers have agreed to settle Bailey v. Blue Apron LLC, their lawsuit over the company’s practice of requiring workers to submit to security checks before clocking in for work and after clocking out. The time required for the security checks was unpaid and allegedly violated California labor laws requiring payment for all time during which an employee is under the employer’s control. 

Riverside, CA UPS Supply Chain Solutions employees filed a class action lawsuit claiming the company failed to pay overtime wages, failed to pay minimum wages, failed to provide required meal breaks and rest periods and other violations of the California labor law. This lawsuit is currently pending in the Riverside County Superior Court, Case No. RIC2000727.

Los Angeles, CA On February 10, the District Court for the Central District of California denied a motion for injunction that would halt enforcement of California’s Gig Worker Law against Uber and Postmates while both companies challenge the law’s constitutionality. The decision means that both companies must begin to treat workers as employees in accord with California labor law--and entitled (with few exceptions) to the benefits of California’s prevailing wage laws.

Sacramento, CA California has always been at the forefront of protecting individuals from workplace discrimination and employment laws. Despite the California labor law, within some groups, discrimination is pervasive.