Long Island Employment Law Blog

All employees in New York must earn, at least, the New York State minimum wage. As of December 31, 2016, the New York minimum wage is at least $9.70 per hour. However, the specific rate applicable to a particular employee depends on the employee’s industry and location in New York state. The specific minimum wages…

Long Island employment lawyers Famighetti & Weinick, PLLC, welcomed Hofstra Law School student Thalia Olaya to the firm this week. Thalia will be working as a summer intern starting in late spring. Thalia was selected as a finalist for the position after a marathon 3.5 hours of interviewing roughly 10 law students at Hofstra’s March…

The Nassau County Bar Association’s newspaper, Nassau Lawyer, has published Matt Weinick’s article in its April 2017 edition. The article discusses recent changes to the way New York City area federal courts handle certain aspects of employment litigation. Nassau Lawyer is generally distributed to Nassau County bar association members, but the April edition is one…

On March 27, 2017, a New York federal appeals court issued a decision about gender stereotype discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. The trial court determined that previous legal decisions barred claims of sexual orientation discrimination and that the case before it was a sexual orientation case not a gender stereotype case,…

The federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and the New York State Labor Law (NYLL), set requirements for employers to pay minimum wage and overtime to employees. Unfortunately, all too often, employers do not pay employees properly, a practice that has come to be known as wage theft. Today’s employment law blog discusses issues relating…

Trypanophobia is the fear of needles. So, what does trypanophobia have to do with employment law? In August 2011, Christopher Stevens asked his employer for a workplace accommodation for his trypanophobia. A fierce legal battle ensued, as discussed below. In 2011, Stevens worked for Rite Aid pharmacy as a pharmacist, as he had for the…

On February 28, 2017, Matt Weinick, an employment lawyer on Long Island with Famighetti & Weinick, PLLC, narrated at the Nassau County Bar Association’s program, “Who Wants to be an Employment Law Millionaire?” The continuing legal education program, hosted by the Association’s labor and employment law committee and organized by the committee’s vice-chair, Paul Millus,…

Hanging in the offices of the Long Island employment lawyers, Famighetti & Weinick, PLLC, is the painting “The Jury” by Barbara A. Wood. The painting serves as a reminder that most employment law cases may eventually wind up in front of a jury. Today’s blog discusses the role that the jury plays in employment cases.…

The Family Medical Leave Act or FMLA, is a federal law which provides short term leave for employees. The law has many requirements for employers and employees. Today’s employment law blog discusses how employees can use FMLA leave and what employers must do under the law. The FMLA allows eligible employees to take up to…

On January 31, 2017, President Trump nominated Judge Neil Gorsuch to the United States Supreme Court. Supreme Court decisions can have important impacts on employment and civil rights matters. Accordingly, today’s blog provides an introduction to the Federal court system to show why the Supreme Court is so important. The Federal court system is established…