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…
Category: Wage Set-Offs
Wage Forfeiture and Valid Set-Offs in Massachusetts
by • • Comments Off on Wage Forfeiture and Valid Set-Offs in Massachusetts
Generally, any contractual provision that requires an employee to forfeit earned wages is a “special contract” prohibited by the Massachusetts Wage Act, M.G.L. c. 149, § 148. As the Attorney General has put it, “an employer may not enter into…
Introductory Post from a Massachusetts Wage Lawyer
by • • Comments Off on Introductory Post from a Massachusetts Wage Lawyer
I’m a little late with this introductory post, but now that this page has garnered a bit of readership, I figured I would take a moment to introduce myself. My name is Nicholas Ortiz. I graduated from Vanderbilt University and…
What Is a “Valid Set-Off” Under the Massachusetts Wage Act?
by • • Comments Off on What Is a “Valid Set-Off” Under the Massachusetts Wage Act?
Unpaid wage law continues to develop in Massachusetts. Most recently, the Supreme Judicial Court (“SJC”) provided extensive guidance on what constitutes a valid deduction from wages–called a “valid set-off” in the law. In Camara v. Attorney General, 458 Mass. 756 (2011), the…