Fisher Phillips Partners Quoted In Inside Counsel

Partner Randy Coffey, Denver Managing Partner Todd Fredrickson, and Irvine Managing Partner James McDonald were quoted in the Labor and Employment digest section of Inside Counsel.

Each month, Inside Counsel showcases opinions and thoughts of those practicing in the labor and employment field for a fuller view of the landscape.

Equal Pay Task Force on the prowl
“Employers should review and evaluate their compensation systems and structure. The June 2013 White House Equal Pay Task Force concluded that the persistence of a gender pay gap is due to discrimination. The EEOC has designated compensation discrimination as a national priority.” said Randy.“The OFCCP is collecting more pay data and using looser standards to analyze it; the private plaintiffs’ bar is circling. Attention to compensation issues now is a wise investment to prevent investigations and claims in this area.”

Colorado clambers to correctly classify contractors
“Colorado companies continue to struggle with the challenges associated with the misclassification of workers as independent contractors, especially given the uptick in compliance audits by the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment.” said Todd. “In addition to satisfying IRS and other federal tests, Colorado companies must ensure that their written independent contractor agreements meet the requirements of the Colorado Worker’s Compensation and Employment Security Acts, and that their workers satisfy the multi-factor tests under these statutes.”

California class action
“Employers in California continue to be hit with class action lawsuits over alleged wage and hour law violations. Recent pro-employer rulings from the U.S. Supreme Court and the California appellate courts, however, provide employers with a potent weapon to resist class actions, in the form of arbitration agreements, “said James. “Courts are forcing plaintiffs who signed these agreements to arbitrate their claims individually, not via class action. California employers are foolish not to implement arbitration.”