Employer Law Blog

On April 15, 2014, in Templemire v. W & M Welding, Inc., the Missouri Supreme Court continued its pro employee interpretation of the employment at-will doctrine by significantly reducing the causality standard for a workers compensation retaliation claims. Prior to this ruling, Missouri law had long required an employee to prove that the alleged retaliatory motive was the “exclusive factor” for the adverse action, typically a termination.

Since its enactment in 1938, the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”) has generally required employers to pay most employees overtime time and a half for all hours worked over 40 during the workweek. Of course, certain employees that are employed in “white collar” jobs are exempt because, in part, they are paid a regular salary each week, regardless of the number of hours actually worked during the week. The exempt positions include those individuals employed in an executive, professional or administrative capacity.