The Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development just landed one of the largest recoveries of overtime wages in state history. The department’s Wage and Hour Administration secured $835,000 in overtime and liquidated damages for 159 employees of Gallo’s Mexican Restaurants and Taco King, Inc,: A recent investigation by…

  Back in November, Maine voters passed a referendum that would increase base wages for tipped workers to $5 per hour. Now, Republican Governor Paul LePage has ordered the state Department of Labor not to enforce the new law. Yes, actually: Maine’s new minimum wage law, which would bump the base pay for bartenders and [&hellip…;

  In Wisconsin, opponents of the prevailing wage have suggested that a full repeal could result in savings of 44%. But a new report from the Midwest Economic Policy Institute (MEPI) – “Prevailing Wage Repeal Cannot Result in ’44 Percent Savings’” – challenges that assertion. MEPI takes particular issue with a 2015…

  Late last month, a federal judge in Texas issued a preliminary injunction blocking alterations to the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) from taking effect. The changes, issued by the Department of Labor (DOL) at the direction of President Obama, would have made millions of American workers eligible for overtime pay. Judge Amos L….

  During the 2016 campaign season, Donald Trump promised to make a lot of “really great deals.” It’s starting to look like his first one is a bust. Trump is giving $6 million in tax subsidies and $1 million in training grants to Carrier, an Indiana company owned by United Technologies, over 10 years. In exchange,…

  Last month, a federal jury found Walmart guilty of intentionally failing to pay the minimum wage to California truck drivers for tasks like washing and inspecting their vehicles. The jury awarded $54 million in damages to the drivers. The lawsuit also accused the retail chain of inadequate compensation for layovers: More than 800 drivers…

  The grass may still be blue, but Kentucky is looking redder than ever. For the first time in 95 years, Republicans will outnumber Democrats in the Kentucky House of Representatives. That gives them control of the entire state legislature. In a guest post for Insider Louisville, Kentucky Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Dave [&hellip…;

  On its face, Donald Trump’s promise to invest one trillion dollars into our nation’s crumbling infrastructure looks like a good thing. The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) gives the the U.S. a D+ on infrastructure and decades of underfunding have left us in serious need of an overhaul. The ASCE estimates that it [&hellip…;

  Last Thursday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) announced a deal with developers and union construction officials that could bring back a program designed to create affordable housing for everyday New Yorkers. The program, called 421-a, expired in January. After a failed effort to revive it in August, Gov. Cuomo brought the parties back…

  Right-to-work proponents scored victories in Alabama and South Dakota on Tuesday, surprising exactly no one. South Dakota rejected a ballot measure aimed at overturning the state’s “right-to-work” law, while Alabama approved a measure that enshrines the anti-union legislation in the state constitution. Elsewhere, Virginia…

  The City Council of New York unanimously passed legislation late last month designed to protect freelancers against wage theft. The Freelance Isn’t Free Act imposes stiff penalties on employers who fail to pay their freelancers promptly. It is an early attempt to contend with the policy challenges presented by the emerging “gig…

  President Obama’s Fair Pay & Safe Workplaces Executive Order was scheduled to go into effect last week. Designed to protect low-wage workers on federal contracts, the EO says contractors must report their own labor law violations when bidding on federal contracts. Unfortunately, these provisions have been temporarily blocked by a…