Seyfarth Releases New Edition of Massachusetts Peculiarities, the Authoritative Guide to the State’s Wage & Hour Laws

BOSTON (March 31, 2014) – Seyfarth Shaw LLP has published the second edition of its book, Massachusetts Peculiarities: An Employer’s Guide to Wage & Hour Laws in the Bay State, the industry’s only comprehensive guide on the substantial risks to employers under the Commonwealth’s unique wage and hour laws. With a patchwork of arcane and complex statutes that impose many non-intuitive requirements, some of which date back to the 17^th century, Massachusetts laws far exceed the scope of federal law and remain among the most restrictive in the nation.

The 2014 edition of Massachusetts Peculiarities provides a detailed summary of Massachusetts wage and hour laws, including an analysis of the significant court decisions and regulatory authorities interpreting those laws and, where applicable, the ways in which they differ from federal law.

“Missteps of the wage and hours laws in Massachusetts can be particularly costly for employers of any size,” said Richard Alfred, Boston-based chair of Seyfarth’s national Wage & Hour Litigation practice. “Combined with an active plaintiffs’ bar, mandated treble damages and an increasing number of investigations by the Office of the Attorney General, the legal minefield in the Commonwealth is more complex than ever.”

Led by Seyfarth’s C.J. Eaton, editor-in-chief of Massachusetts Peculiarities, the book features the collective contributions of more than a dozen Labor & Employment lawyers from the firm’s Boston office. “Navigating our state’s wage and hour landscape is difficult and the stakes are high but our team has produced the definitive resource for in-house counsel and human resources professionals to best manage their policies and risks.”

The Seyfarth book analyzes a number of trends and topics, including

Compensable Working Time
Definition of “Wages”
Timing and Frequency of Wage Payments
Minimum Wage and Overtime
Prevailing Wage
Exemptions from Overtime
Work on Sundays and Holidays
Tips and Service Charges
Classifying Workers as Independent Contractors
Joint Employment
Penalties and Enforcement

First published in 2010,Massachusetts Peculiarities is part of Seyfarth’s popular Peculiarities series of books, which closely analyze the most challenging environments for U.S. employers operating in states like California, Illinois and Massachusetts. It is also available in eBook format, which is compatible with most major devices, fully searchable and includes a number of other features, including note-taking, highlighting and more. To request the Massachusetts Peculiarities eBook, please click here.

With more than 25 lawyers, Seyfarth’s Boston Labor & Employment group is one of the largest labor and employment practices in Massachusetts. Nationally, Seyfarth’s Wage & Hour Litigation practice includes approximately 100 lawyers and has represented employers in the defense of more than 400 class and collective actions during the past two years alone. For additional news and analysis of wage and hour cases nationwide, please visit Seyfarth’s Wage & Hour Litigation Blog.

About Seyfarth Shaw LLP

Seyfarth Shaw has more than 800 attorneys and provides a broad range of legal services in the areas of labor and employment, employee benefits, litigation, corporate and real estate. With offices in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, London, Los Angeles, Melbourne, New York, Sacramento, San Francisco, Shanghai, Sydney and Washington, D.C., Seyfarth’s clients include over 300 of the Fortune 500 companies and reflect virtually every industry and segment of the economy. A recognized leader in delivering value and innovation for legal services, Seyfarth’s acclaimed SeyfarthLean client service model has earned numerous accolades from a variety of highly respected third parties, including industry associations, consulting firms and media. For more information, please visit www.seyfarth.com.

Contact:

Brian Kiefer, Director of Public Relations
(312) 460-6401, bkiefer@seyfarth.com