New Massachusetts Wage and Hour Laws

Effective July 15, 2008, all violations of Massachusetts wage and hour laws will be subject to mandatory triple damages, even when employers have acted in good faith and took reasonable steps to comply with wage payment laws. This according to the July issue of Employment Law Advisor newsletter by the Massachusetts employment lawyers at Morse, Barnes-Brown & Pendleton. According to the report,

This new law is likely to cause more litigation as it provides employees an incentive to file claims for a variety of types of wage payment claims. Pay practices subject to claims include overtime pay, minimum wage, vacation pay, pay to independent contractors, prompt payment of wages for current and terminated employees, Sunday/ holiday pay under Massachusetts “Blue Laws,” and tip pooling.

UPDATE: Now link directly to this article in a web page: Massachusetts Wage and Hour Laws - Triple Damages.