Work & The Law

Massachusetts Wage and Hour Laws: A Comprehensive Guide

Navigating the complex landscape of wage and hour laws is essential for both employers and employees in Massachusetts. These laws govern various aspects of employment, including minimum wage, overtime pay, and meal breaks, ensuring fair treatment and compensation for workers. As a dedicated employment law attorney in Massachusetts, Attorney Adam Shafran aims to provide comprehensive guidance on wage and hour

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Prevailing Wage Law in Massachusetts

In Massachusetts, the Prevailing Wage Law requires contractors and subcontractors working on public construction projects to pay their workers the prevailing wage rate. The prevailing wage rate is defined as the hourly rate of pay, including benefits, paid to the majority of workers engaged in a particular type of construction work in a specific geographic area. This law applies to

Read More »

Unpaid Wages: Compensation for On-Call Time

Employers often think they are entitled to have their employees “on-call” and do not have to pay them for such time so long as the employee is not performing any work during the on-call time. This is incorrect, and Massachusetts has specific laws governing the compensation of on-call time. They are as follows: On-call Time: All on-call time is compensable

Read More »

Unpaid Meal Breaks – Does It Pay To Eat?

In a recent class action law suit brought by employees of a security company, the Massachusetts Superior Court described the legal standard to be applied when determining whether thirty-minute meal breaks constitute compensable working time. In this case brought under the Massachusetts Wage Act, the employer Longwood Security Services Inc. (“Longwood”) maintained a company policy pursuant to which its employees/security

Read More »

Independent Contractor Misclassification: Lawsuit Filed Against Transportation Company

Have you been misclassified as an independent contractor? On March 17, 2017, Attorney Adam J. Shafran and Rudolph Friedmann LLP filed a class action lawsuit against Smart Transportation, Inc. and related companies (“Smart”) to recover damages on behalf of a class of drivers who alleged they were misclassified as independent contractors by Smart. Smart is a non-emergency medical transportation company

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Compensable Travel Time for Employees

Travel time by an employee may be considered compensable work time under Massachusetts Wage and Hour Law and the Fair Labor Standards Act.  Employers should be aware of exactly what travel time would be considered time worked and make sure they pay their employees according to these laws.  In a class action complaint, Escorbor v. Helping Hands Co., Inc., employees

Read More »

Keeping Overtime Pay in Compliance with the Prevailing Wage Law

Employers often create complicated payroll formulas to calculate overtime pay for employees who work under public work contracts to comply with Massachusetts’ prevailing wage law. The prevailing wage law (M.G.L. c. 149, § 26-27) governs public works contracts in Massachusetts and mandates a wage rate established by the director of the Massachusetts Department of Labor, the “prevailing wage,” which must

Read More »

Massachusetts Wage and Hour Laws: A Comprehensive Guide

Navigating the complex landscape of wage and hour laws is essential for both employers and employees in Massachusetts. These laws govern various aspects of employment, including minimum wage, overtime pay, and meal breaks, ensuring fair treatment and compensation for workers. As a dedicated employment law attorney in Massachusetts, Attorney Adam Shafran aims to provide comprehensive guidance on wage and hour

Read More »

Prevailing Wage Law in Massachusetts

In Massachusetts, the Prevailing Wage Law requires contractors and subcontractors working on public construction projects to pay their workers the prevailing wage rate. The prevailing wage rate is defined as the hourly rate of pay, including benefits, paid to the majority of workers engaged in a particular type of construction work in a specific geographic area. This law applies to

Read More »

Unpaid Wages: Compensation for On-Call Time

Employers often think they are entitled to have their employees “on-call” and do not have to pay them for such time so long as the employee is not performing any work during the on-call time. This is incorrect, and Massachusetts has specific laws governing the compensation of on-call time. They are as follows: On-call Time: All on-call time is compensable

Read More »

Unpaid Meal Breaks – Does It Pay To Eat?

In a recent class action law suit brought by employees of a security company, the Massachusetts Superior Court described the legal standard to be applied when determining whether thirty-minute meal breaks constitute compensable working time. In this case brought under the Massachusetts Wage Act, the employer Longwood Security Services Inc. (“Longwood”) maintained a company policy pursuant to which its employees/security

Read More »

Independent Contractor Misclassification: Lawsuit Filed Against Transportation Company

Have you been misclassified as an independent contractor? On March 17, 2017, Attorney Adam J. Shafran and Rudolph Friedmann LLP filed a class action lawsuit against Smart Transportation, Inc. and related companies (“Smart”) to recover damages on behalf of a class of drivers who alleged they were misclassified as independent contractors by Smart. Smart is a non-emergency medical transportation company

Read More »

Compensable Travel Time for Employees

Travel time by an employee may be considered compensable work time under Massachusetts Wage and Hour Law and the Fair Labor Standards Act.  Employers should be aware of exactly what travel time would be considered time worked and make sure they pay their employees according to these laws.  In a class action complaint, Escorbor v. Helping Hands Co., Inc., employees

Read More »

Keeping Overtime Pay in Compliance with the Prevailing Wage Law

Employers often create complicated payroll formulas to calculate overtime pay for employees who work under public work contracts to comply with Massachusetts’ prevailing wage law. The prevailing wage law (M.G.L. c. 149, § 26-27) governs public works contracts in Massachusetts and mandates a wage rate established by the director of the Massachusetts Department of Labor, the “prevailing wage,” which must

Read More »