United States: No Governmental Immunity For Breach Of Teaching Or Coaching Service Contracts

On November 21, 2014, the Supreme Court of Texas reversed the Twelfth Court of Appeals’ judgment in Damuth v. Trinity Valley Community College, a decision that extended governmental immunity against virtually all employment contracts. The Local Government Contract Claims Act (the Act) waives a local governmental entity’s immunity from suit for breach of a services contract subject to the Act. Tex. Loc. Gov’t Code §§ 271.151(2), 271.152. In holding that sovereign immunity was not […]

By | March 5th, 2015 ||

United States: New York Increases Minimum Wage For Tipped Workers

On February 24, 2015, New York’s acting Commissioner of Labor signed an Order that combined all tipped workers in the hospitality industry into one class and increased their minimum wage to $7.50 per hour. The increase goes into effect on December 31, 2015. New York state’s minimum wage for all other employees is currently $8.75, and is scheduled to increase to $9.00 on December 31, 2015.

Employers should review their compensation policies in light of […]

By | March 4th, 2015 ||

United States: The Tip Credit: Won’t Be What It Is Now For New York Employers

Executive Summary: On February 24, 2015, the Commissioner of Labor accepted the recommendation of the New York State Department of Labor’s (NYSDOL) Wage Board (the “Wage Board”) for a 50 percent increase in the minimum hourly rate for tipped workers, from $5.00 to $7.50 an hour. As discussed in our February 4, 2015 Alert, The Diminishing Tip Credit: Another Reason it is becoming Harder to Comply with Wage & Hour Laws in New York, […]

By | March 4th, 2015 ||