An estimated 22 percent of the U.S. workforce is employed by the nation's biggest violators of federal workplace safety and wage laws-government contractors. A study by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee not only highlighted the rampant labor law compliance problem in the U.S., it showed that the problem is so rampant that not even employees working for the government are immune from being affected by wage theft and other labor law violations. The study also revealed that … [Read more...]
FTC Says 20 of Nation’s Largest 100 Advertisers Engage in Deceptive Advertising
Advertisers have been hiding too much information in the fine print, said the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in letters it sent to more than 60 companies on Tuesday, including 20 of the United States' 100 largest advertisers.The letters are part of "Operation Full Disclosure," an operation initiated by the FTC on September 23, 2014 that targets deceptive and misleading advertisements which fail to clearly and conspicuously disclose information that is important to consumer buying … [Read more...]
Gov. Jerry Brown Signs Bill Holding Businesses Liable for Subcontractor’s Labor
California workers, especially those who employed at companies who receive work through subcontracts, will be receiving more protections in the workplace from new legislation that holds businesses liable for labor law violations committed by companies they subcontract work to. Under Assembly Bill 1897, signed by Governor Jerry Brown, companies using subcontractors will now be held responsible when their subcontractors violate wage, workplace safety or workers' compensation laws."California … [Read more...]
Employee or Independent Contractor: A Distinction That Makes a Difference
On the surface, it seems just a label: employee or independent contractor? But how an employer classifies a worker can make a big difference in the protections and benefits he or she is entitled to. The issue has become particularly important today, as many companies are filling their rosters with what they deem independent contractors. In many cases, that is just what they are. But not always. And the misclassifications can prove costly for workers. There is no one particular thing that you … [Read more...]
Class Action Settlement: Verizon To Refund Customers for Unauthorized Cramming
Jacobs Kolton, Chtd., David Schachman & Associates, P.C., Keller Grover LLP and Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP announced today that a class action settlement has been reached that will make it possible for Verizon landline customers to receive 100% refunds for unauthorized third-party charges. The settlement, preliminarily approved by United States District Court Judge Saundra Brown Armstrong, comes in a suit alleging that Verizon billed its landline phone customers for charges … [Read more...]