Articles Posted in unpaid wages

Workers who are misclassified by their employers as independent contractors can finally recover they full value of the wages and benefits they should have received as an employee, but did not. It has long been the case that an independent contractor who should have received overtime, if she was properly classified as an employee, is…

Gordon Law Group, LLP and Greater Boston Legal Services (GBLS) announced today an agreement to settle a federal class action lawsuit against Michael Bianco, Inc., the former New Bedford factory that manufactured military gear for the U.S. Department of Defense. The company was the target of a March 2007 federal immigration raid that was broadly…

Finally, the Wage Act gets its clarification. The law, which goes into effect on July 13, 2008, makes clear that Massachusetts takes violations of the wage statute seriously – with triple damages awarded to employees who must institute lawsuits in order to recover their wages. The clarification recognizes that failure to pay employees their earned…

Current and former employees of New Bedford’s Michael Bianco, Inc., today filed a federal court class action lawsuit on behalf of more than 500 workers, alleging multiple violations of the federal and state wage and overtime laws. Papers filed in the case describe how Michael Bianco, Inc., systematically and intentionally violated the laws requiring time-and-half…

The First Circuit has ruled that corporate officers may be held personally liable for a corporation’s failure to pay to pay its employees proper wages under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”). While the district courts in the First Circuit have been willing to impose personal liability on corporate officers for years, the First Circuit…

Good news and bad for light-weight vehicle operators. A recent court case from Georgia (Dell’Orfano v. Ikon Office Solutions, Inc.) confirms that truck drivers operating vehicles weighing 10,001 pounds or less in interstate commerce must be paid overtime under the Fair labor Standards Act (FLSA). The first decision since the passage of the 2005 Motor…

The Massachusetts Senate and House have enacted a bi-partisan bill designed to protect workers from unscrupulous employers who withhold wages, salaries and benefits, and protect law-abiding business from the resulting unfair competition. Filed by Senators Cynthia Creem and Steven Tolman, and Representatives Peter Koutoujian and Martin Walsh, the bill (H. 4663) calls for clarification of…

The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) today announced the arrest of seven current and former managers of IFCO Systems North America, Inc. (IFCO) as part of a new initiative to crack down on employers of undocumented workers. The arrests were made in connection with the “second phase” of the Secure Border Initiative. Phase…

Who is an employer under the Massachusetts Wage Act? It’s a question we commonly face in representing employees in their disputes with employers over wages. A recent decision has recognized that investors who involve themselves closely in management and decision making – especially a decision not to pay wages – may have personal liability for…