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John Rodgers represents public and private employers in employment-related litigation and assists them with employment policies, employee handbooks, workplace investigations, disciplinary actions, and terminations. He actively litigates employment disputes on behalf of employers and has handled discrimination and retaliation, wage and hour, FMLA, and non-compete cases in both state and federal court. He also devotes substantial attention to ERISA litigation and representing individuals and businesses in conservatorship matters.

Don’t Let Your Employee’s “Unpaid” Meal Breaks Turn into a Costly Mistake for YouAn unpaid meal break can become a very expensive lunch for an employer, but there are ways to comply with the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) to try and minimize the risk.

Identifying the Potential Problem

The problem that results from unpaid meal breaks typically arises like this:

  • Nonexempt employee clocks out for lunch, or

Tennessee’s New ‘Pregnant Workers Fairness Act’ Requires Employers to Reasonably Accommodate Pregnant EmployeesThere is a new law for Tennessee employers. As of October 1, 2020, those of you with employees in Tennessee must reasonably accommodate pregnant employees under the state’s new “Pregnant Workers Fairness Act” or else face potential civil liability.

New Obligations and Cause of Action

Under the act, which applies to employers with 15

That Un-Masked Man: Can a Business Ask a Customer Who Refuses to Wear a Mask Because of a Disability to Leave?In the COVID-19 era, many employers and businesses are wrestling with unprecedented issues. You can add one more to the list: Can you have your employees ask a customer who refuses to wear a mask because of a claimed disability to leave?

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a place of public accommodation –

Business Re-Entry – What Should Employers Be Considering Before Opening Their DoorsWe recently presented to the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce via webinar on “Business Re-Entry – What Should Employers Be Considering Before Opening Doors?” The link to the webinar is below. In this webinar, we discussed developing a plan for re-opening, communication tips for employees regarding returning to work, and screening considerations for employees returning

DOL’s Regulations for FFCRA, Part II: Calculating Amounts and Pay for Leave, Intermittent Leave, and How it Works with PTOIn Part I of this post we covered some of the logistics you need to get started with the FFCRA paid leave provisions. Today we will continue our review of the Department of Labor’s FFCRA temporary regulations and discuss the guidance on leave entitlement based on hours worked, calculating the amount of pay due for

Part One of the DOL’s Regulations for the FFCRA: Who is Covered, Posting, Documentation, Shelter-in Place Order, and Other Fun Items

At the end of last week, the Department of Labor issued 125 pages of FFCRA guidance, including actual temporary regulations and 20 new Q&As (so we are now up to 79 — but who’s counting?). While a full summary of these regulations would be quite long, we are breaking it up into multiple parts

What Employers Need to Know About U.S. House Bill 6201: Families First Coronavirus Response Act

Wednesday afternoon, the Senate passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, and President Trump signed it into law. The act contains several provisions that will significantly impact employers with fewer than 500 employees.

If this applies to you, your obligations become effective no later than April 2, 2020 – 15 days from the date of

Unpaid Interns and a Lunch Order Gone Bad: Jury Returns FLSA Retaliation Verdict Against Martina McBride’s Production CompanyA February 2020 jury verdict against county music star Martina McBride’s production company highlights – albeit indirectly – the perils of unpaid internship programs and the issues they can cause under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

The Facts

Martina McBride and her husband, John, own Blackbird Studios, which hired Richard Hanson as its operations