Articles by Girish Anand

January 12, 2020

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DOL Publishes Joint Employer Final Rule

The Department of Labor (DOL) today announced a final rule to update the regulations interpreting joint employer status under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The regulations have not been meaningfully updated in more than 60 years. Eugene Scalia, Secretary of Labor Under the FLSA, an employee may have, in additi...

SECURE Act to Benefit Small Employers

January 8, 2020

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retirement plans

The SECURE Act (Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act) became law as part of the year-end federal budget package signed by President Trump in December, and looks to be the most important piece of retirement legislation in a decade or more. The SECURE Act will help businesses adopt retirement plans.

Trader Joe's Sued Over Excessive Fees in 401(k) Plan

January 8, 2020

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Trader Joe's, the iconic food retailer, has been sued over its retirement plan by former employees who claimed to have lost millions of dollars through the company's mismanagement of their funds. Trader Joe's, Pasadena, Calif. At issue is the fee charged annually for the maintenance of each account. The plaintiffs' l...

January 5, 2020

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Blue States Ask Supreme Court to Review ACA Ruling

UPDATE: On Jan. 7, the Supreme Court set a Friday afternoon deadline for ACA opponents to respond to the Blue State coalition's request to expedite the case to be resolved before the November 2020 election. Led by California, a coalition of 20 Blue State attorneys general (AGs), plus the District of Columbia, has petitioned the Supreme Court to review the December decision by the 5th U.S. Ci...

New Overtime Rule Takes Effect Today

December 31, 2019

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New Year's Day ushers in a new Department of Labor (DOL) overtime rule, which raises the salary exemption threshold from $23,660 a year to $35,568, or from $455 a week to $684. Those employees making less than that new amount are eligible for overtime pay. According to a DOL senior official, the new exemption threshold will make an additional 1.3 million workers eligible for overtime come 20...

December 18, 2019

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Individual Mandate Unconstitutional, Rest of Obamacare in Hands of Texas District Judge

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals today ruled unconstitutional the individual mandate portion of the Affordable Care Act (ACA, or Obamacare), but left the fate of its other provisions in the hands of a Texas judge, who in December 2018 ruled the entire law unconstitutional. Judge Reed O'Connor "The most straightf...

NLRB Ends 5-Year Battle Over McDonald's Status as Joint Employer

December 13, 2019

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The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has ordered an administrative law judge (ALJ) to accept a settlement offered by McDonald's USA, LLC in a case involving employees at Illinois franchises fired for their efforts in Fight for $15 picketing. The Obama-era NLRB and its general counsel supported the lawsuit, claiming the corporation was a joint employer liable for actions by its franchise...

December 12, 2019

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DOL Issues Final Rule on Regular Rate of Pay

The Department of Labor has announced a final rule that will allow employers to more easily offer perks and benefits to their employees. The rule released today marks the first significant update to the regulations governing regular rate requirements under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) in over 50 years. Those requirements define what forms of payment employers include and exclude in th...

December 4, 2019

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Locked in a Freezer for Retaliation: Chipotle Must Pay

This from the National Law Review website (sounds pretty bizarre): Austin Melton, a manager at a San Jose Chipotle store who was 22 years old at the time, was forced to endure pervasive verbal and physical harassment by his female supervisor. His supervisor propositioned Melton and his then-girlfriend for sex, touched him inappropriately, and posted a "scoreboard" in the main office to track t...

DOL Issues Holiday Warnings to Employers

December 4, 2019

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The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and Wage and Hour Division (WHD) of the Department of Labor (DOL) remind employers to protect worker safety and pay during the holiday season. "During the busy holiday season, employers must focus on protecting their workers by anticipating and preventing potential hazards in the workplace," said Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of...

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About author

Girish Anand

Recent Articles

Practical articles on HR, Safety, compliance, and people operations—written for real businesses, not legal textbooks.

U.S. Department of Labor Officially Restores Prior Overtime Exemption Rules

On May 14th, 2026, the Wage and Hour Division (WHD) of the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced it has officially rescinded the 2024 overtime exemption rules. Specifically, the WHD published a technical amendment to restore previous 2019 regulations that dictated overtime exemptions for...

NLRB General Counsel Takes Action to Tackle Current Case Backlog

On May 6th, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and NLRB General Counsel Crystal Stowe Carey announced the bulk transfer of thousands of labor practice cases. Specifically, this action fulfills an initiative signed by the NLRB General Counsel earlier this year. Overall, the initiative...

Privacy Agency Invites Comments from Businesses on the CCPA’s Usage of Personal Data

Recently, the California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA) issued a call for comments on the current state of personal data collection under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). Specifically, the invitation to deliver remarks was issued on April 20th, 2026. The information provided by the...

DOL Proposes New Joint Employer Rule To Unify Standards Under Federal Labor Laws

In April 2026, the U.S. Department of Labor issued a proposed rule to establish a single, clear standard for determining when joint-employer status applies under three major federal laws: the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), and the Migrant and Seasonal...

DOL Updates Enforcement Approach for Employee Benefit Plans: What Employers Should Know

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) recently announced a significant change in its enforcement of employee benefit plan rules. The DOL will now focus more closely on serious violations that harm workers and retirees, meaning compliant employers may face less scrutiny under the updated approach.

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Articles by Girish Anand