Category: Paychecks & Work
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Battelle Energy Alliance will pay $5 million to over 100 workers denied vaccine exemptions
More than 100 employees of an Idaho Falls engineering and research company asked to be excused from a mandatory COVID-19 vaccine policy. Some asked on the basis of a sincerely held religious belief. Others asked on the basis of a disability. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission found reasonable cause to believe those requests were unlawfully…
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The FTC is mailing more than $2.7 million to 62,893 Handy workers over fees taken from their pay
Envelopes from a refund administrator are landing in 62,893 mailboxes this month, and the checks inside them come with an instruction printed on the paper. The Federal Trade Commission says recipients should cash them within 90 days. Together the checks total more than $2.7 million, and every dollar traces back to fees and fines that…
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The Labor Department’s wage tool lets workers search by employer for unclaimed back pay
The U.S. Labor Department may already be holding back wages for a worker it could not locate after an investigation. Its free Workers Owed Wages tool lets people search by current or former employer to see whether money connected to a Wage and Hour Division case may be waiting. This is narrower than a general…
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Public-service workers may qualify to erase remaining Direct Loan balances after 120 qualifying payments
Public-service work can lead to cancellation of a borrower’s remaining federal Direct Loan balance, but the result is not automatic after ten calendar years on the job. Public Service Loan Forgiveness requires 120 qualifying monthly payments, eligible loans, an eligible repayment plan, and qualifying full-time employment. That combination makes routine verification important. A worker can…
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Five dealership workers will share $925,000 under a court-approved harassment and retaliation settlement
Five workers at three affiliated Austin car dealerships will share $925,000 under a federal court-approved settlement of sexual-harassment and retaliation claims. The money and the dealerships’ required workplace changes resolve the case before trial, so the alleged conduct should not be described as a final court finding. For employees elsewhere, the case is a reminder…
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Six deli workers received about $83,000 each after being paid $100 for 11-hour days
Six workers at a San Diego deli have now received roughly $83,000 apiece after a federal investigation found they were paid a flat $100 for days that often lasted 11 hours. The recovery shows how quickly unpaid minimum wages and overtime can grow when a pay practice continues week after week. The payment is specific…
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Self-employed drivers can deduct 76 cents per business mile for trips after June 30.
Every business trip in a personal vehicle now carries a slightly different tax value than it did earlier in the year. For eligible self-employed workers, the federal optional mileage rate is 76 cents for each business mile driven from July 1 through December 31, 2026. The rate does not turn commuting or personal errands into…
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Forty-six restaurant workers recovered $613,037 after investigators found minimum-wage and overtime violations.
A federal wage investigation has put more than $613,000 back in the hands of 46 restaurant workers in Minnesota. The recovery matters beyond one workplace because restaurant pay can combine hourly wages, tips, deductions and overtime in ways that make a short paycheck hard to spot. Basic records can help workers identify the gap. What…
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Ask your employer about $5,250 in tax-free tuition or student-loan help.
A benefit hidden in an employee handbook can be worth as much as $5,250 a year without increasing taxable wages. Employers may use a qualified educational-assistance program to help with tuition, books and certain student-loan payments. The catch is that the workplace must actually offer the plan, and its rules can be narrower than the…
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A seafood wholesaler will pay $265,000 after at least 19 women were denied warehouse jobs
A seafood wholesaler has agreed to pay $265,000 to resolve federal claims that women were denied a fair chance at warehouse jobs. The agreement covers at least 19 applicants and requires changes beyond the payment. For workers, the case illustrates that hiring discrimination can have a direct paycheck cost even before a person becomes an…