Yesterday 812 former and current security officers were mailed a notice informing them that (1) there is a pending case against Longwood Security Services, Inc. for unpaid wages, (2) the court certified the case as a class action, (3) they…
Category: Massachusetts Wage Claims
Case Report: Wage Act Class Action Against Restaurant Chain Can Proceed
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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…
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…
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…
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…
Personal Liability under the Massachusetts Wage Act
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The Massachusetts Wage Act states that, “The president and treasurer of a corporation and any officers or agents having the management of such corporation shall be deemed to be the employers of the employees of the corporation within the meaning…
Payment of Wages and On-Call Time in Massachusetts
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In many industries, workers are expected to be “on call” for some or all of their work time. During these periods, workers must be ready and able to begin work, usually at a moment’s notice, upon receiving a call or…