Under both federal and Wisconsin state laws, workers must be paid one and one-half times their regular rate of pay for all hours worked in excess of 40 per week. There are a few industries or professions that are exempt from the right to overtime, but the majority of...
Wage And Hour Laws
In Wisconsin workplaces, how much less do women earn than men?
Ever since the second presidential debate took place earlier this week, there has been a lot of buzz about the gender wage gap in America. As anyone who watched the debate knows, an audience member in the town hall asked the presidential candidates what they plan to...
The Right to Breast Pump at Work
Working mothers who breastfeed know all too well how stressful it can be to find the time and privacy necessary to breast pump at work. According to the White House Council on Women and Girls, "[o]ne of the most common reasons mothers cite for discontinuing...
Wisconsin’s breast-feeding moms targets of discrimination at work?
Wisconsin women are protected from pregnancy discrimination under several federal employment laws. In fact, 25 years ago Congress amended Title VII in order to outlaw pregnancy discrimination. Not quite as long ago, back in 1993, the federal Family and Medical Leave...
Wal-Mart, DOL resolve overtime pay complaint for $4.8M
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. is having a tough time right now. Exxon-Mobile just bumped the mega-retailer from first place on the Fortune 500 list of revenue-generating U.S. companies. The company is facing allegations of bribing foreign government officials and may soon be...
Women in the workplace: Rosie the Riveter is spinning in her grave p2
Last month, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker signed a bill that repealed the 2009 Equal Pay Enforcement Act. The law had allowed employees that have experienced compensation discrimination based on their protected status to pursue damage claims in state courts. Women...
Women in the workplace: Rosie the Riveter is spinning in her grave
During World War II, Rosie the Riveter became the symbol of women at work, women doing men's work for the good of society. Things changed after the war, and women have been playing catch-up ever since -- especially when it comes to wages.Under both federal and...
Should a Religious Institution be Bound by Its Written Employment Contract?
Should a religious institution be bound by its written employment contract? I argued to the Wisconsin Supreme Court (WSC) yesterday that our client's religious employer should be bound by the terms of a written one-year employment contract, just like any other...
New ERISA rule allows investment advice for retirement plans
We know of many people who are enrolled in their employer-sponsored 401(k) type plan but who are completely at sea when it comes to allocating their retirement savings. They are grateful for the benefit, but they often end up basing their investment decision on...
FLSA requires all hours work to be paid even during daylight savings time
Last Sunday we all turned our clocks back one hour for daylight savings time. Many employees in Wisconsin who worked the third-shift in manufacturing or worked a night shift as a waiter or waitress worked the extra hour even though their schedule may not have...