labor lawAdivision of labor law center

 A firm specializing in information technology has been ordered to pay nearly $1.7 million in back wages to H-1B non-immigrant workers following an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor in a case that should sound a warning for every employer.

The company, GlobalCynex, Inc. ,  is a division of Sterling information technology. According to its website, the company bills itself as “a leading Global Consulting and IT services company, providing a broad array of solutions customized for a range of key verticals and horizontals. From strategy consulting right through to implementing IT solutions for customers, providing innovative business and technology services that deliver measurable results.”

The total award of $1,683,584 to 343 workers amounts to (more…)

Thirty-one U.S. states have laws requiring employers to give workers time off to vote. The penalties for employers who don’t give workers time off to vote can be severe.

In the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico, Election Day is a legal holiday. This includes any day a referendum is held. General elections are legal holidays in the Virgin Islands, and employees who give prior notice must be permitted two hours off, with pay, to vote.

Internationally, in many countries, election day (more…)

 A tragic case in California illustrates exactly why federal legislators recently passed stiffer penalties for employers who fail to provide safe working conditions for workers under the age of 18.

GINA, the recently passed Genetic Information Non-disclosure Act, provides for a $50,000 fine for any employer who is found in violation of a safety regulation, resulting in the death of a worker who is a minor.

Recently, the California Department of Industrial Relations’ Division of Occupational Safety & Health (DIR/Cal/OSHA) issued six citations in the sad death of a 17-year-old female Hispanic farm worker. Even more tragically, this death could easily have been prevented if the employer had taken a few minutes to comply with a few simple safety rules.

Maria Vasquez Jimenez died of (more…)

One aspect of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 or GINA that was overlooked by many employers strengthens the federal child labor laws.

The amendment to the Fair Labor Standards Act or FLSA allows the US Department of Labor to impose heftier fines when employers violate federal child labor laws.

Under GINA, employers may be (more…)