labor lawAdivision of labor law center

Effective July 24, 2009 when the federal minimum wage increased from $6.55 per hour to $7.25 per hour, the Virginia minimum wage increased to $7.25 per hour, as well.

Every Virginia employer must update his or her labor law posters to reflect the change.

In the 2007, the Fair Minimum Wage Act enacted a series of increases for the federal minimum wage to be accomplished over a three year period. Each increase would be 70 cents and would occur on July 24. The first increase took place in 2007, the second in 2008, and the third and last increase in 2009.

That last increase went into effect on July 24, 2009 and increased the federal minimum from $6.55 per hour to $7.25 per hour. This increase affected most of the employers in Virginia, including those covered by the state minimum wage.

Many Virginia employers are covered by the federal minimum wage.

The federal minimum wage is governed by the Fair Labor Standards Act of (more…)

Employers have already been warned that the state minimum wage will increase with the new year in Oregon, Washington, Florida, New Mexico, Vermont, Colorado, Arizona, Missouri, Montana, Ohio and Connecticut.

However, employers in other states also have to contend with minimum wage increases this year.

Even if an employer has no minimum wage employees, each increase means the employer must update his or her minimum wage posters. By law, employers are required to display a variety of labor law posters prominently in the workplace. Failure to do so can result in fines, penalties and citations.

On July 1, 2009 the Illinois minimum wage will increase by 50 cents, from $7.50 to $8.00 per hour. This is the final step in a 3-tiered increase introduced by the now-infamous (more…)

 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…)

With the current economic crisis, many employers are considering giving workers additional unpaid time off during the holidays. This includes giving workers Friday, November 28 (the day after Thanksgiving) and/or Friday, December 26 (the day after Christmas) off without pay.

Other employers are considering closing for an entire week between Christmas and New Years.

However, these tactics raise issues around the payment of exempt salaried employees that every employer needs to be aware of. (more…)

Effective July 24, 2008 the federal minimum wage increases 70 cents from $5.85 per hour to $6.55 per hour.

This move will also increase the minimum wage in 10 states, where the state adopts the federal minimum wage automatically. Those states include: (more…)