The Massachusetts State Superior Court issued an opinion on Jan. 5, 2016 allowing a class action for unpaid meal breaks to proceed against the Chateau restaurant chain in Massachusetts. Elizabeth Ryan of Bailey & Glasser and I are co-counsel in…
Category: Wage
Massachusetts Employers Cannot Charge Employees for Uniforms
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Many employers in Massachusetts require their employees to wear uniforms. While this is a legal practice, it is unlawful for employers to charge employees for these uniforms. In January 2015, the Department of Labor Standards updated its wage and hour…
Auto Deductions for Work Breaks
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Lunch breaks – and other breaks – are a normal part of most employees’ work days. Under Massachusetts law, M.G.L. c. 149, s. 100, employers must provide employees with a thirty-minute meal break after working for six consecutive hours. Many…
Mary Kay Misclassification Lawsuit
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Mary Kay beauty consultants and sales directors in New Jersey recently filed a class action lawsuit against Mary Kay, claiming that the company has misclassified them as independent contractors rather than employees, in violation of the New Jersey Wage Payment…
Off-the-Clock Work
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The Massachusetts Appeals Court recently issued an important overtime ruling involving off-the-clock work. What happens when an employee works overtime but the employer claims they didn’t know about it? In the case of Vitali v. Reit Management, the Appeals Court…
Home Health Care Travel Time Wage Cases
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We are handling a number of home health care cases on behalf of classes of home health care workers denied wages for their travel time between client sites. We recently gained court approval for a class action settlement against a…
Requesting your Personnel File in Massachusetts
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The Massachusetts personnel record law, M.G.L. chapter 149, § 52C, allows a current or former employee to get a copy of their personnel file. The law requires an employer to give access to personnel records to employees and former employees upon written request. This…
Wages for Meal Breaks in Massachusetts
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Under Massachusetts law, employees are entitled to a 30-minute meal break for each six-hour period that they work. M.G.L. c. 149, s. 100 states, “No person shall be required to work for more than six hours during a calendar day without…
Getting Paid for Travel Time
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Pay for some travel time is required by law. When an employee must be paid hinges on whether the travel is commuting time or travel time that happens during the workday. In general, an employee has no right to wages or expenses for commute…
Vacation Pay and the Massachusetts Wage Act
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Private employers do not have to provide paid vacation, but many do as an employment benefit. When an employer chooses to offer paid vacation time to their employees, any earned vacation time is the equivalent of “earned wages” under the Massachusetts Wage…