Source: https://www.scribd.com/document/293606555/retliation
Timestamp: 2019-04-20 01:34:07+00:00

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29 U. Ross Packaging Co.bna.A. to any employee. San Luis Valley Regional Medical Center. Dunlop v. Under certain circumstances. the Dunlop court noted that discrimination by former employers was precisely the sort of harm that Section 15(a)(3) was intended to correct. 147 (6 Cir. the discharge is discriminatory whether or not other grounds for discharge exist. Where the immediate cause or motivating factor of a discharge is an employee's assertion of rights under the Act. 1977). 550 (6th Cir. In reversing the trial court. §215(a)(3). Georgia Southwestern College.Retaliation Under the Fair Labor Standards Act employer's wage and hour policies violate the Act and complains.C. 1943). The employee is not required to be engaged in activities covered by the Act's minimum wage and overtime provisions.com/bnabooks/ababna/annual/99/annual46. Who is covered by the Act? The anti-retaliation provisions apply. 367 F.2d 549. even spouses of employees have received protection against retaliation. Applicants for employment and independent contractors are not protected by the anti-retaliation provisions in Section 15(a)(3).. Brock v.S. Harper v.2d 139. 911 (D. 848 F. 2  American Bar Association http://www. Supp. Carriage Carpet Co. including former employees. 1985). 765 F. without qualification.2d 1026 (11th Cir. A. 1994). Colo. Wirtz v. th 548 F..pdf .
and. a government agency which does not rely on congressional appropriations for its budget (Rivera v.R. 1997)). a labor union and its officers and members (Bowe v. a plant manager and consultant actively engaged in plant operations (Donovan v. 185 (W. including: 1.pdf . Judson C. Inc.. 137 F. 3 WH Cases 253 (3rd Cir. a county sheriff and county board of supervisors (Barfield v. 2. What activities are protected? Courts have broadly interpreted Section 15(a)(3) to protect activities beyond those expressly enumerated in the statutory language as protecting any employee who "has filed any complaint or instituted or caused to be instituted any proceeding under 3  American Bar Association http://www. Who is liable for retaliation under the Act? The anti-retaliation prohibitions of Section 15(a)(3) are applicable to "any persons.Va. 1943)).D. 573 F. Inc.2d 37.bna. 1983)). Supp.Retaliation Under the Fair Labor Standards Act B. Installation Club System. 1985)). 3. Madison County. Schoolhouse Four. Burns. (4 WH Cases2d 426 (S.C.com/bnabooks/ababna/annual/99/annual46. 4." The word "persons" has been broadly interpreted to include entities beyond the traditional corporate employer or business entities and its officers.Supp. 269 (D. C.D.P. 623 F..Miss.
Decisions handed down over the last several years have done nothing to resolve this split among the circuits. 2. 5. 4. The Second and Ninth Circuits have held that formal complaints to a government agency or court will satisfy the requirements of §215(a)(3) of the FLSA.pdf . communicating with investigators from the Wage and Hour division. and told her that the job was considered exempt and that she would not be entitled to overtime pay.Retaliation Under the Fair Labor Standards Act or related to [the Act]. circulating a petition to protest an overtime policy. requesting a raise. testifying at criminal proceedings under the Act.com/bnabooks/ababna/annual/99/annual46. 3. In a letter to Putnam. Putnam Associates Inc. while other courts have agreed that informal complaints to the employer will suffice. 5 WH Cases2d 389 (1st Cir. courts are split on whether the protections of Section 15(a)(3) apply. Valerio said that a receptionist is not an exempt employee under the 4  American Bar Association http://www.. Putnam hired Valerio for a "Receptionist/Administrative Assistant" position. and. participating in a DOL audit or calling the DOL to ask if employees are entitled to wages for staff meetings. or has served or is about to serve on an industry committee". 1999). Formal vs. informal notice. When an employee does nothing more than orally complain to the employer about wage policies. D. for example: 1. or has testified or is about to testify in any such proceeding.bna. In Valerio v.
The plaintiff/employee was fired after she complained that she was not being paid the required minimum wage. which have determined that internal complaints to the employer will suffice.D. an employee who made an informal complaint to her employer by communicating that she had complained to the DOL was permitted to proceed with her FLSA retaliation claim although the employer alleged that it discharged her before she actually filed a complaint. The court narrowly construed the anti-retaliation provision finding that the word "filed" in the provision clearly indicates that a "more verifiable activity is required than merely an oral complaint to a supervisor". A district court in the Fifth Circuit sided with the majority of Circuits on this issue. The Court stated.Retaliation Under the Fair Labor Standards Act FLSA and insisted she be reclassified as non-exempt and paid overtime. Clevinger v. Valerio was fired. Inc. allegedly because of a new modem system. 1999). 5 WH Cases2d 165 (W. Chamber of Commerce. Motel Sleepers. and dismissed the plaintiff's claim.Va.D. Tenth. The First Circuit sided with the Sixth. finding that Valerio's letter to Putnam was "sufficiently definite" to inform Putnam of her rights to overtime pay.com/bnabooks/ababna/annual/99/annual46. Eighth.. La. however. that it must look at each case individually and held that not all written comments and criticisms made to an employer will be sufficient.pdf . 5  American Bar Association http://www. 4 WH Cases2d 1629 (E.bna. In Laird v. 1998). and Eleventh Circuits. Several days later. A recent case out of Virginia in the Fourth Circuit also held informal notice to the employer is not sufficient to trigger the anti-retaliation protections of the Act.
Memphis Bar-B-Q Co. .com/bnabooks/ababna/annual/99/annual46. . has testified or is about to testify. What conduct is prohibited? The majority of cases decided under the anti-retaliatory provisions involve retaliatory discharge . [any] unlawful employment practice.S. to discharge . The 6  American Bar Association http://www. .D. A claim of constructive discharge can be sustained if the employer makes the working conditions so intolerable that the employee is forced to involuntarily resign. any employee because such employee ." The court construed the provision narrowly.. 5 WH Cases2d 184 (E. that any FLSA proceeding was ever initiated. and pointed to the retaliation section of Title VII which prohibits discriminating against employees who have "opposed . . .an employee is terminated for engaging in a protected activity. more importantly. the plaintiff/restaurant manager told his employer that a co-worker was preparing to file an FLSA action against it.pdf ." The court reasoned that this broad anti-retaliation provision shows that Congress could have written the FLSA anti-retaliation provision broadly. §215(a)(3) (1998) states that it is "unlawful for any person . and determined that the plaintiff failed to state a claim upon which relief could be granted because he failed to show that he was "about" to testify or. E. 1999). The anti-retaliation provision of the FLSA.A. . Ball v. 29 U.Retaliation Under the Fair Labor Standards Act In a second case out of the Eastern District of Virginia.C.bna. suggesting that the statute was clear in limiting the applicability to particular situations. The plaintiff refused to comply with the employer's request to testify to a set of facts with which he disagreed and was fired. Va. . .
bna. or job responsibilities and privileges.." Campbell v. 1997).pdf . 7  American Bar Association http://www. "games were being played". job title. If the courts permitted employers to circumvent labor laws by exploiting undocumented aliens. benefit levels. change in title from Senior Buyer to Buyer.Ill. In this case.D. Employers cannot be permitted to punish former employees by seeking to have them "black-listed" by potential employers. 4 WH Cases2d 365 (N.com/bnabooks/ababna/annual/99/annual46. the court said that the protection of the FLSA undoubtedly applies to undocumented aliens. reporting an allegedly illegal alien to the Immigration and Naturalization Service.Retaliation Under the Fair Labor Standards Act plaintiff's allegations she was being "set up". An employer may not interfere with a former employee's ability to obtain and/or retain subsequent employment. 1991)).2d 543 (7th Cir. Adams Elevator Equipment Co. Inc. suggesting a demotion (Soto v. Other actions which have been held to constitute unlawful retaliation against employees involve: 1. and she found certain employer actions to be rude. An indemnity claim filed against an employee with the intent to retaliate is an unfair labor practice. or seemingly intrusive did not rise to the level of a materially adverse employment action as they had no impact on her wages. upsetting. HSA Managed Care System. 2. Determining whether an action is materially adverse "must be cast in objective terms. 941 F.. The former employer can accomplish this purpose by disclosing to a prospective employer that the employee had filed a wage and hour complaint.
D. 4 WH Cases2d 1795 (N. the employee's state tort law claim arising from an alleged retaliatory discharge is preempted by the Act..bna.pdf . 228. 8  American Bar Association http://www.com/bnabooks/ababna/annual/99/annual46. Affirmative defenses.Cal. Once all the evidence has been received.N. but the employer terminates him or her prior to the employees' intended last day of work (Ayres v. Price Waterhouse v. statute of limitations. and employers would have economic incentive to employ undocumented workers at an unfair rate (Contreras v. 4. in situations where the employee has tendered resignation. and. failure to mitigate damages. 3.D. 1998)). 12 F.Y. 490 U. Corinthian Vigor Ins. F. 2.Retaliation Under the Fair Labor Standards Act then abusive exploitation would occur. The affirmative defenses which can be asserted in retaliation cases are: 1. Justice O'Connor observed that the court can determine which method should be applied. Hopkins. 278.S.Supp. Courts have applied both the "mixed-motives" and the "pretext" approach to proving claims of retaliation in violation of Section 15(a)(3) of the Act.2d 305 (S. 1998)). 127 Restaurant Corp. 49 FEP Cases 954 (1989). Many of these cases do not fall neatly into either of the above categories but must instead be decided using a combination of the two approaches.
Travis v.A. 921 F. 7. 6.S. entitlement to punitive damages is not a settled issue. 812.C. and. 1990). § 216(b). 2. pre-judgment interest.2d 108. front pay. the Seventh Circuit and courts in the Ninth Circuit have authorized punitive damages awards. Remedies Section 16(b) of the Act provides that employers who violate the anti-retaliation provisions of Section 15(a)(3) "shall be liable for such legal and equitable relief as may be appropriate to effectuate the purposes of section [15(a)(3)] of this title. reasonable attorney's fees shall be awarded. 502 U. an employer's good faith reliance on counsel and ignorance of the law." 29 U.Retaliation Under the Fair Labor Standards Act Other apparent affirmative defenses have been considered and rejected by the courts. denied. The following possible remedies are enumerated in Section 16(b): 1.. lost wages and liquidated damages equal to the lost wages. 4. G. compensatory damages (not generally available in other suits under the FLSA. 8. 9  American Bar Association http://www. Gary Community Mental Health Center. Inc. 5.e. promotion.S.pdf . 30 WH Cases 928 (1991)).bna. 3. reinstatement. i. e.. employment. 111.g.com/bnabooks/ababna/annual/99/annual46. have been awarded in a few cases. 30 WH Cases 122 (7th Cir. 9. cert.
th In Shea v. 1999). Galaxie Lumber. the Court ruled that punitive damages could be awarded even if compensatory damages were not.pdf .bna. 963017v2 (9th Cir. 10  American Bar Association http://www. 152 F.com/bnabooks/ababna/annual/99/annual46. June 10. No.3d 729 (7 Cir. Ackerley.Retaliation Under the Fair Labor Standards Act In Lambert v. 1998). the court awarded $12 million in punitive damages to employees who reported that they were not being paid adequate overtime and were subsequently fired.
.Ill. One court held an employee was not entitled to injunctive relief because only the Secretary of Labor has the statutory authority to seek such relief under the FLSA. 12 F.D.pdf . compensatory and punitive damages. Daido Metal U.S. however. Bjornson v. The rate of interest may vary by jurisdiction. to award pre-judgment interest in these cases.2d 837 (N. The remedies available to the Secretary in an action brought on behalf of an employee are generally equivalent to those available in a private action with the exception of liquidated.bna.com/bnabooks/ababna/annual/99/annual46.Retaliation Under the Fair Labor Standards Act 10. Courts are more likely.A. Post-judgment interest has been awarded in a number of cases brought by the Secretary pursuant to Section 17 of the Act. 11  American Bar Association http://www. 1998).. Inc. Injunctive relief including reinstatement pending a trial on the merits and enjoining retaliatory lawsuits. Supp.

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