Vedder is an international business-focused law firm serving sophisticated clients of all sizes and industries from offices across the U.S. and in the UK and Asia.

A Business Focused Law Firm With a Global Reach | Vedder

Clients rely on Vedder to steer them through complex wage and hour matters across the US. We provide routine compliance advice and defense in high-stakes litigation and effectively help clients navigate federal, state and local requirements.

contentpilot/introduction

Wage and hour laws are constantly evolving. Our team monitors developments nationwide, identifying areas where companies are likely to meet compliance challenges and providing guidance to minimize litigation risk and exposure through proactive audits and policy updates and other preemptive measures.

core/paragraph

Common areas in which we provide guidance include:

core/heading

application of white-collar and other exemptions

core/list-item

regular rate and overtime pay calculations

payroll and timekeeping policies and audits

core/list

The number of wage and hour lawsuits filed in federal and state courts across the country has substantially increased over the last decade, with verdicts and settlements routinely costing companies millions of dollars. We understand that the best defense to litigation is proactively analyzing, drafting and revising company policies and procedures to ensure compliance and mitigate risk. But, sometimes, litigation is unavoidable. When wage and hour cases are filed, whether on a single plaintiff or a putative class or collective action basis, our seasoned litigators are well-equipped to successfully defend your company.

All cases involve different business and legal considerations, so there is no such thing as a “one-size-fits-all” approach to litigation. We work closely with each client to customize our defense to satisfy their business objectives. This requires creative—and often, novel—litigation strategies to defeat claims or efficiently resolve them to our clients’ satisfaction.

We have successfully defended our clients against the full scope of wage and hour claims, including those concerning the following:

improper calculation of regular rate and overtime pay

core/column

core/columns

core/group

Vedder Works Employment Law Series Chicago, IL 2024

Vedder Works Employment Law Series Rosemont, IL 2024

Daniel Stander Quoted in Personnel Today

James P. Looby Authors Article for <i>Law360</i>: “Amazon Holiday Pay Case Underscores Overtime Challenges”

DOL’s Final Rule to Increase Salary Thresholds for Overtime Exemptions

Are Boilerplate Disclaimers Enough? Illinois Employers May Still Face Unpaid Wage Claims

Texas Federal Court Strikes Down DOL Rule Increasing Salary Threshold for Overtime Exemptions

DOL Provides Further FLSA Guidance Regarding Manager and Supervisor Participation in Tip Pools

Supreme Court Clarifies Burden of Proof Standard for FLSA Claims

Illinois Supreme Court Issues Important Decision Concerning Overtime Pay and Damages Under the Illinois Minimum Wage Law

Seventh Circuit Allows Recovery of Back Pay in ADA Case Absent Proof of Disability

One Big Beautiful Bill Act’s No Tax On Tips and Overtime Provisions Prompt Important Questions and Considerations for Both Employers and Workers

Illinois Employment Law Watch New and Upcoming Employment Law Developments

IRS Publishes Proposed Regulations for the “No Tax on Tips” Provision of the OBBBA

2026 Wage Updates for New York State

Third Circuit Signals Shift in Requirements for Release of FLSA Claims In Class Action Settlements

Nevada Supreme Court Holds That State Wage and Hour Laws Do Not Incorporate the Federal Portal-to-Portal Act

AB 288: California Attempts to Step In as Federal Labor Enforcement Stalls

Colorado Supreme Court Shortens the Statute of Limitations for Colorado Minimum Wage Act Claims  

New Jersey Prohibits Employers from Holding Mandatory Meetings on Labor Organizing

Treasury Department Issues List of Jobs Qualifying for New Tip Income Deduction Under “One Big Beautiful Bill” Act

Health Plan Tobacco Surcharge Litigation

Sixth Circuit Splits with EEOC and Other Circuits as to Employer Liability for Harassment by Non-Employees Under Title VII

Alternative Investments and 401(k) Plans

Seventh Circuit Departs from Traditional Two-Step Collective Certification Framework in FLSA and ADEA Cases

New York City’s Earned Safe and Sick TimeAct Is Amended to Include Paid Prenatal Leave

Ninth Circuit Weighs In On Circuit Split Involving FLSA Collective Action Jurisdictional Requirements

UK Employment Rights Bill Update: the Implementation Roadmap

U.S. Department of Labor Announces Relaunch & Expansion of Its Opinion Letter Program

U.S. Department of Labor Issues New FLSA Independent Contractor Guidance

Cunningham v. Cornell University

Sixth Circuit Clarifies Requirements for a Salaried Employee to Be “Paid on a Weekly Basis” Under the FLSA.

The Second Circuit Holds That Reasonable Accommodations Under the ADA May Be Required Even When Not Necessary to the Performance of the Job

The New Jersey Supreme Court Finds that Commissions Are Wages Under the New Jersey Wage Payment Law

Federal District Court Says Class and Collective Action Waiver Survives Unenforceable Arbitration Agreement

Acting NLRB General Counsel Pulls Back Memoranda

You Can’t Miss a Shot If You Don’t Show Up to the Game: Union Pulls Petition to Unionize Dartmouth Basketball Team

Approaching Deadline to Post Last Year’s Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses

DOL Returns to Prior Dual Jobs Regulation for Tipped Employees

DOL Reaffirms That Managers And Supervisors May Not Participate In Tip Pools

Illinois Enacts New Pay Stub Requirements for Employers

lllinois Employers May Still Face Unpaid Wage Claims

Colorado Requires Holiday Incentive Pay to Be Included in the Regular Rate of Pay

Fifth Circuit Strikes Down U.S. Department of Labor Tip Credit Rule

Colorado Supreme Court To Decide What Limitations Period Applies To Colorado Minimum Wage Act Claims

Seventh Circuit Weighs in on Jurisdiction in FLSA Collective Cases

New York State’s Freelance Isn’t Free Act Takes Effect August 28, 2024

The King’s Speech: Labour’s plans for employment law reforms in the UK

Illinois’s Freelance Worker Protection Act Took Effect July 1, 2024

Will PAGA Be Reformed?

EEOC Updates Anti-Harassment Guidance for First Time in 25 Years

Supreme Court Rules that Cases Subject to Arbitration Must Be Stayed

Motion Seeking to Stay or Enjoin FTC Final Rule Banning Employer-Employee Non‑Competes Set for Ruling by July 3, 2024

Navigating New Minimum Wage Requirements for California’s Fast Food Industry

Delivering the Goods:  The Exemption from Arbitration Focuses on the Worker, Not the Industry

Key Changes Impacting UK Employment Law From April 2024

Trying to Reconcile the Tension between the Federal Arbitration Act and Adolph

The DOL Issues Its Final Independent Contractor Rule

The Deal That Ended the SAG-AFTRA Strike

Ringing in the New California Laws

New York City Bans Employers from Creating Height and Weight Requirements

New Law in New York State Impacts Settlement Agreements

UK Supreme Court Ruling:  A Look at the Changes to a Series of Unlawful Deductions

Major Changes Proposed to Non-Competes in the UK

New Law Requires Greater Chicago Metropolitan Area Employers to Provide Pre-Tax Transit Benefits

New York State and City Labor and Employment Updates

California Increases Requirements for Paid Sick Leave

California Approves Minimum Wage Increase for Health Care Employees

California Fast Food Workers Look Forward to Pay Increases

A Rise in DSARs: Why Can Data Subject Access Requests Be Such a Burden?

NLRB Continues to Rewrite the Rules to Limit Employers’ Authority

Just Dropped: IRS Provides Relief on Roth Contributions for HCEs

Unionization Upon Demand:NLRB Announces Most Significant Change to Labor Law in 50 Years

New UK Employer Duty to Prevent Sexual Harassment to Be Watered Down

DOL Returns to Prior Davis-Bacon Act Wage Definition for Construction Industry

EEOC Proposes Regulations for Implementation of Pregnant Workers Fairness Act

NLRB to Start Scrutinizing Employer Policies More Closely

CCPA Relief at Risk:  California Attorney General Announces New Investigative Sweep

New York City Law Tackles AI Bias in Employment

The California Supreme Court Sets Viking River Cruise Decision Adrift

A Welcome Delay in CCPA Regulations Enforcement

Illinois Governor Expected to Sign Pay Transparency Bill into Law

AI “Hallucinations” Can Inflict Real-World Pain

Minnesota Enacts Ban on Non-Competition Agreements

NLRB Refashions Independent Contractor Test

Calculating FMLA Leave:  What Happens on Holidays?

Employers Face Minimum Wage Increases in Certain Cities and Local Areas

Canada’s Wildfires Are a Good Reminder of an Employer’s Duty to Provide a Workplace Free of Known Safety and Health Hazards

Colorado Bill Amends Equal Pay for Equal Work Act

Supreme Court Allows Employer to Sue Union. Is that a big deal?

Amendment to Chicago Human Rights Ordinance Protects Bodily Autonomy of Workers

Chicago Updates Its “Ban the Box” Rule to Limit an Employer’s Consideration of Conviction Records

Possible Bias in AI Selectivity?  EEOC Issues Guidance on Use of Artificial Intelligence in Employment Selection Procedures

New EEOC COVID-19 Updates

New York State Releases Its Finalized Updated Model Sexual Harassment Prevention Policy

Individual Arbitration Agreements and PAGA Representative Claims—Where Do We Stand Now?

NLRB Puts Employers On the Hook for Expanded Remedies for Unfair Labor Practices

Preserving Workplace Culture Amidst the Threat of AI Deepfakes: Employer Considerations in the Wake of the Federal TAKE IT DOWN Act

New York State 2025 Budget Includes Limitation on Damages in Frequency-of-Pay Cases

Wage & Hour Compliance

Insights & Events

DOL Proposes New Joint Employer Rule Under Federal Wage and Leave Laws

Ninth Circuit Reverses Lower Court Ruling Applying Collateral Estoppel to Preclude Arbitration in Putative Class and Collective Action

New York District Court Holds that Pre- and Post-Shift Screenings Are Not Compensable Under New York Law

Illinois Supreme Court Holds That Preliminary and Postliminary Activities Must Be Paid

Illinois Department of Labor Prepares to Issue Rules Clarifying Expanded Obligations Under the Day and Temporary Labor Services Act

Circuit Court Holds “Interested Party” May Not Sue to Enforce Day and Temporary Labor Services Act; Rules Part of DTLSA Unconstitutional

U.S. Department of Labor Proposes New Independent Contractor Rule

California Court of Appeal Creates Test for Distinguishing Volunteers from Employees

Primary Contacts

Related Areas