FREE CONSULTATION212.300.0375
BLOG
May 27
Fitapelli & Schaffer has filed a lawsuit against Eventlink alleging widespread overtime and wage violations affecting workers across multiple states, including New York, California, Indiana, and Nevada. The complaint, filed by attorneys Joseph Fitapelli and Armando Ortiz, alleges that Eventlink failed to properly compensate workers for overtime hours despite routinely requiring long shifts and extensive workweeks.
Continue ReadingMay 22
A former hourly worker has filed a proposed class-action lawsuit against Yelp Inc. in California, alleging that the company failed to pay employees for all hours worked and violated several wage-and-hour laws. The lawsuit claims that workers were required to log in through their computers to begin their shifts but were not compensated for the time spent waiting for those systems to boot up, which could take several minutes each day.
Continue ReadingApr 17
Fitapelli & Schaffer LLP has filed a lawsuit against Total Directional Services LLC, alleging that the company failed to properly pay overtime wages to oilfield workers across the United States.
Continue ReadingMar 27
Workers at Dunkin’ Donuts and Taco Bell locations in New York City may be entitled to compensation following a settlement involving violations of the city’s Fair Workweek Law. Salz Management LLC, a franchisee operating multiple locations, agreed to pay more than $1.5 million after a city investigation found scheduling violations affecting hundreds of employees.
Continue ReadingMar 25
Tyson Foods Inc. must continue defending against most of a proposed class-action lawsuit alleging wage-and-hour violations at one of its processing plants. A federal court recently ruled that a worker plausibly alleged that interrupted meal breaks and automatic time deductions resulted in unpaid wages, allowing several key claims to move forward.
Continue ReadingFeb 9
GEICO has agreed to pay $900,000 to resolve multiple lawsuits alleging that the company failed to properly pay call center employees for all hours worked. A federal judge in Georgia gave final approval to the settlement, resolving claims that workers were required to perform unpaid work before and after their scheduled shifts.
Continue ReadingDec 16
For 2026, New York’s general minimum wage is $17.00 per hour in New York City, Long Island, and Westchester County, and $16.00 per hour in the rest of the state. Some workers, including certain tipped employees and workers covered by industry-specific wage orders, can be subject to different cash-wage or allowance rules. Workers should compare their work location, job type, pay rate, and pay period with the rate that applied when the work was performed.
Continue ReadingDec 2
New York City reached a $38.9 million settlement with Starbucks after investigators found violations of the city’s Fair Workweek Law. The settlement is expected to provide payments to more than 15,000 hourly employees from approximately 300 Starbucks locations.
Continue ReadingNov 21
A federal judge in Idaho granted preliminary approval to a $2.1 million settlement resolving wage claims against a group of Papa John’s franchise operators. The agreement will benefit nearly 3,000 current and former pizza delivery drivers who alleged that the company’s pay policies violated federal and state labor laws.
Continue ReadingOct 16
Netflix, Kinetic Content, and Delirium TV, producers of the reality series Love Is Blind, face a lawsuit in California Superior Court. The suit was brought on behalf of contestants who participated in the show and others involved in similar productions.
Continue ReadingJun 17
On June 13, 2025, a former KFC employee filed a class action lawsuit against Value FoodService LLC and related entities that operate KFC locations in New York City. The complaint alleges violations of New York City’s Fair Workweek Law, New York Labor Law, and the Fair Labor Standards Act.
Continue ReadingJun 16
The U.S. Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision holding that workers are entitled to the same legal standard when pursuing employment discrimination claims under Title VII, regardless of whether they are members of a majority or minority group.
Continue ReadingJun 12
A Washington-based steel manufacturer agreed to pay $6.15 million to resolve claims that it failed to fully compensate hourly employees for all hours worked.
Continue ReadingApr 25
The New Jersey Supreme Court unanimously ruled that commissions qualify as wages under state law. The case involved a former sales manager who claimed she was owed substantial commissions after selling personal protective equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Continue ReadingFeb 28
Fitapelli & Schaffer filed a class action lawsuit against a Taco Bell franchise in New York City, MHF Ralph LLC and related entities. The lawsuit claims that Taco Bell violated New York Labor Law and New York City’s Fair Workweek Law by failing to compensate hourly employees properly.
Continue ReadingFeb 20
A former Wendy’s employee filed a class-action lawsuit against NY Bacon LLC, which operates several Wendy’s franchises in New York City. The lawsuit claims that the company violated the New York City Fair Workweek Law by failing to provide predictable schedules, adequate notice of schedule changes, and other required protections.
Continue ReadingFeb 10
A California state judge largely rejected Apple’s attempt to dismiss a proposed class action alleging pay disparities affecting female employees. The lawsuit claims women in several divisions were underpaid compared with male employees performing substantially similar work.
Continue ReadingJan 9
A wage-and-hour, class-action lawsuit accuses Staples of violating California labor laws by requiring employees to work off the clock, miss or shorten breaks, and perform tasks without pay.
Continue ReadingNov 1
A Connecticut-based home healthcare logistics company and a former employee agreed to conditionally certify a collective in a federal wage lawsuit focused on alleged unpaid off-the-clock work.
Continue ReadingOct 3
T-Mobile USA Inc. is accused of underpaying on-call technicians by offering a flat rate for overtime that falls below legal standards, according to a collective action filed in Washington federal court.
Continue ReadingSep 12
A proposed class action filed in California state court alleges that Billion Dollar Baby Entertainment LLC misclassified performers as independent contractors and failed to pay overtime and minimum wages. The lawsuit also raises allegations involving meal and bathroom breaks.
Continue ReadingAug 14
The U.S. Department of Labor recovered close to $270,000 in unpaid wages and damages for 76 laborers working on an onion farm after an investigation found wage and other employment violations.
Continue ReadingJul 30
A Cook County judge finalized a $2.4 million settlement resolving litigation alleging Crate & Barrel violated Illinois’ biometric information privacy act (BIPA). The lawsuit alleged that employees were required to scan fingerprints for timekeeping without written, informed consent.
Continue ReadingJul 3
Zara agreed to a $1.25 million settlement to resolve allegations that it failed to include commissions in overtime pay calculations for approximately 500 employees. The agreement required approval from a New York federal judge.
Continue ReadingMay 9
A United Airlines affiliate responsible for plane-cleaning services allegedly failed to fully compensate cabin workers for overtime hours worked outside scheduled shifts, according to a proposed class action in a Colorado federal court.
Continue ReadingApr 11
A federal judge in Ohio provisionally approved certification of a group of food distribution employees who alleged that they were required to work off the clock and during breaks without compensation.
Continue ReadingMar 6
Many employers have introduced weekly attendance bonuses to encourage employees to return to work. Wage disputes have led to questions about whether or not those bonuses must be included when calculating overtime under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
Continue ReadingJan 26
Global Payments Inc. agreed to settle a lawsuit involving more than 100 remote customer service workers who claimed they were underpaid for time spent starting computers and logging into required systems.
Continue ReadingDec 19
New York’s minimum wage increased on January 1, 2024, as part of a multi-year wage plan adopted in the state budget.
Continue ReadingNov 3
A federal judge approved a $3.7 million settlement between Fresh Mark Inc. and a class of employees in Ohio, resolving unpaid overtime claims. The settlement provides for a portion of the fund to be distributed among covered current and former nonexempt production employees.
Continue ReadingOct 26
A federal judge in Seattle rejected most of T-Mobile’s request to dismiss a potential class-action lawsuit alleging the company enabled a SIM-card swap scam through its service. The judge dismissed two claims while allowing four allegations to continue.
Continue ReadingOct 17
A “clopening” shift occurs when an employee closes a business at night and then returns to open it the next morning, leaving a short period between shifts.
Continue ReadingOct 4
A New York judge ruled in favor of New York City regulators, allowing a minimum-pay increase for app-based food delivery workers to proceed after several delivery companies challenged the rule.
Continue ReadingSep 15
A former Spirit Airlines flight attendant claims that the airline is unlawfully denying employees their entitled unpaid family or medical leave by failing to accurately account for all the hours worked, which is a violation of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). This assertion is part of a proposed class action lawsuit filed in a federal court in Nevada.
Continue ReadingAug 27
The U.S. Department of Labor has given the green light to a new rule under the Davis-Bacon Act that changes how prevailing wages are determined for construction projects funded by the federal government. This update will lead to a significant change to wage assessments and is great news for those in the construction industry.
Continue ReadingAug 4
In a significant development for Home Depot and its employees, a federal judge in California granted initial approval for a substantial $72.5 million settlement. This settlement brings an end to a prolonged and complex legal battle that spanned seven years, addressing class claims accusing Home Depot of neglecting to compensate its workers for off-the-clock work.
Continue ReadingJul 26
A recent decision by a New York state judge has postponed the implementation of a new rule in New York City that aimed to raise the minimum wage for app-based delivery workers. Companies like Grubhub, DoorDash, and Uber have challenged the rule, arguing that the rule was biased, which led to a delay in its enforcement. The judge has scheduled a hearing for the end of July to further address the matter.
Continue ReadingJul 7
A group of current and former employees of The Walt Disney Co. have filed a lawsuit alleging that the company has unfairly paid women in middle management positions at least $150 million less than their male coworkers in similar roles. The employees are seeking class treatment for their case and have presented their claims to a judge in Los Angeles.
Continue ReadingJun 22
In a significant move to tackle the issues faced by delivery workers, New York City has introduced a new law that establishes an increased minimum wage for food couriers employed by delivery platforms such as Uber Eats, DoorDash, Relay, and Grubhub. The main purpose of this law is to respond to the concerns raised by labor rights activists and the city’s comptroller, who have highlighted their belief that the existing minimum pay is inadequate in covering the exorbitant living costs in NYC and the many expenses associated with being a delivery driver.
Continue ReadingJun 14
A recent development in Maryland involves a magistrate judge’s recommendation that a nightclub pay $1.1 million to a group of dancers who filed a lawsuit for unpaid wages. The dancers claimed they were intentionally misclassified as independent contractors to avoid proper payment.
Continue ReadingMay 17
Kronos, a company that provides workforce management services, has reportedly agreed to settle a lawsuit brought by a group of its employees. The employees alleged that Kronos was negligent in its duty to prevent a ransomware attack in 2021, which led to the theft of their personal data. As per the recent court filing, Kronos has agreed to pay a maximum of $6 million to settle the lawsuit.
Continue ReadingApr 28
MadiCorp, a temporary staffing company, is facing a proposed collective action filed in a federal court in New York by two ex-employees who claimed that the company transported them to their workplace early every morning but did not compensate them for the overtime hours.
Continue ReadingApr 14
Old Dominion Freight Company is facing a proposed class action lawsuit in Illinois federal court, alleging that the company’s timekeeping platform unlawfully scanned and retained employees’ fingerprints without their permission. According to the lawsuit filed by John Kararo, the company made workers use a unique “biometric identifier” to log in and out of the time clock system to track hours and attendance, which violates the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA).
Continue ReadingApr 10
As early as May 2023, employees may see changes to the U.S. Department of Labor’s overtime regulations. Three U.S. Senate Democrats have proposed a bill that would increase the minimum salary requirement for overtime exemption from $684 per week, or about $36,000 per year, to $75,000 per year by 2026. Additionally, the bill seeks to permanently link the exemption threshold to the 55th percentile of earnings for workers, as calculated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Currently, fewer than 15% of all full-time salaried workers receive overtime pay.
Continue ReadingMar 17
Workers across the United States that are bound by noncompete agreements may have some good news coming. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has suggested a new regulation that would prohibit employers from enforcing non-compete agreements on their employees. This common and frequently unjust practice limits salaries, inhibits creativity, and prevents entrepreneurs from launching new businesses. According to the FTC, this proposed rule could enhance overall salaries by approximately $300 billion annually and create more career prospects for around 30 million people by putting an end to this practice.
Continue ReadingMar 3
A federal judge in California has ordered Virgin America Inc. and Alaska Airlines to pay $31M in unpaid wages and penalties to flight attendants who claimed Virgin America and Defendant Alaska Airlines failed to pay overtime premiums, provide meal periods and rest breaks, provide accurate wage statements, and other violations of the UCL and the PAGA. The ruling applies to all affected flight attendants who have worked for Virgin America, Inc. in California between March 18, 2011 and January 15, 2023. Hundreds of employees will receive a payout from this airline wage class action.
Continue ReadingFeb 28
A recent Supreme Court ruling has upheld a 2021 Fifth Circuit decision which held that despite earning well over minimum wage , if an employee is not paid a set salary by its employer, they may be eligible to earn overtime pay when working over 40 hours per week. This is a huge win for employees across all industries. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”), a worker is entitled to overtime pay as long as they do not fall under one of several exemptions, most of which consider in part whether an employee was paid a set salary for all of their hours worked. In the oil industry wage case of Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc., et al v Hewitt, the affected worker, Hewitt, claimed that because his pay was structured as a day rate (or “daily rate”) with his wages dependent on days worked as opposed to a set salary, he should be entitled to overtime.
Continue ReadingFeb 17
Layoffs in the tech industry continue to pile on as we settle into 2023. The wave of hiring freezes and layoffs picked up full steam in 2022 with large tech companies firing more than 5-20% of their work force. Many believe the job cuts are in major part due to over hiring and over paying for talent during the height of the pandemic. Firms hired aggressively to capitalize on the demand for online purchases and social media use during lockdowns.
Continue ReadingFeb 10
Flight attendants for United Airlines have just had their significant wage deal for owed wages confirmed by the courts. A California federal judge has recently given their initial approval of the $53.5 million settlement resolving claims that the major airline failed to provide adequate wage statements as required by California Labor Code. Affected individuals include all current and former flight attendants employed by UnitedAirlines based at a California airport between August 2014 and March 31, 2023. Over 5,000 flight attendants stand to benefit from this payout.
Continue ReadingFeb 1
Passing fines onto employees in the finance industry may be on the rise. Companies such as Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, and UBS that have been probed and fined recently by the SEC for misuse of personal devices. Some of these financial firms are now looking into offloading these fines onto their employees. In 2021, the SEC launched an investigation into banks to see if they had been properly monitoring their employees’ conversations regarding official business. This past September, the agency ended up fining 16 financial institutions, including some big-name banks, $1.8 billion after evidence of employees discussing business deals and trades on personal devices or apps such as WhatsApp.
Continue Reading
US
ES