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The Department of Labor recently announced two settlements addressing overtime violations for home health care workers in Texas and Louisiana.

A lawsuit filed by Tulsa Fire Department firefighters to recover unpaid overtime is expected to grow further this week.

In 2021, New York City amended its Fair Workweek Law to expand labor protections for employees of fast food restaurant chains. This amendment, the Wrongful Discharge Law, granted fast food restaurant employees “just cause” protection from discharge, and the right to challenge a wrongful discharge through arbitration. We previously covered this development here.

Beginning on February 19, 2022, most California employees will be able to enjoy supplemental paid sick leave (SPSL) for COVID-19 related absences from work. This is the second time California has provided SPSL, the last iteration ending on September 30, 2021.

On January 11, 2022, a Walmart driver in Madison County, Alabama, filed a class action lawsuit against her employer, alleging that Walmart’s uniform policy is unlawfully discriminatory. The driver, Diana Webb, alleges in her lawsuit that Walmart requires its drivers to wear a specific uniform—including pants—each day.

On February 10, 2022, the Senate passed the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act, following bipartisan passage in the House of Representatives on February 7.

On February 3, 2022, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey announced a $1.5 million fine on Family Dollar, which operates over 100 stores in the state, for failing to provide hundreds of employees with meal breaks.

On February 1, 2022, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit reversed a Federal Labor Relations Authority decision eliminating bargaining over de minimis issues.

On December 29, 2021, U.S. District Judge Paul G. Gardephe approved a $42.9 Million Settlement Agreement in a lawsuit brought by 1,199 current and former Child Protective Specialists and Child Protective Specialist Supervisors (CPS and CPSS) employed by the City of New York’s Administration for Children’s Services alleging unpaid overtime. The CPS and CPSS are members of AFSCME Local 371.

Last August, Workers United, an affiliate of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), started organizing employees at three Starbucks locations in the Buffalo, NY area. On December 9, 2021, one elected union representation, becoming the first unionized corporate-owned store in the U.S. The second was certified on January 10th.