Last month, President Obama signed an Executive Order barring federal contractors from discriminating against employees on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. The Order simply adds sexual orientation and gender identity to a list of characteristics—race, color, religion, sex, and national origin—already protected under an Executive Order signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson, […]

Thanks to an executive order signed by President Obama last week, employees who have suffered discrimination, harassment or sexual assault at work may have an easier time getting their day in court. Signed on July 31, the “Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Executive Order” forbids companies who contract with the federal government from requiring their […]

Did you know that a worker can make wages below the federal poverty line (currently $23,850 for a family of four), work long hours performing mostly manual labor, and still not necessarily qualify for overtime pay?  Strange but true. The federal wage and hour law (the Fair Labor Standards Act, or “FLSA”) celebrated its 75th anniversary […]