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House Bill Seeks To Eliminate Class Actions

Insurance underwriter

Congress is attempting to eliminate class actions.  This is bad for employees.  When employers violate state or federal wage laws, their actions usually affect large groups of employees.  For example, if a company classifies all of its assistant managers as “executives” when they are really laborers, it can affect hundreds or thousands of workers.  Usually, employees don’t know that they have the right to overtime pay when they are told that they are exempt.  When one or two employees find a lawyer to bring a class action lawsuit to correct the classification, the entire class of employees can be helped.  Also, the fact that multi-million dollar class actions can be brought against them are more likely to obey the law.  The proposed law would make it harder for employees to bring class actions and easier for employers to violate wage and hour laws.   Here is a very good article about this law that explains the problems that it will cause if passed.

 

If you are an employee and want employers to obey wage and hour laws (like overtime and minimum wage laws) then you should oppose this bill.  Contact your U.S. Congress person and let them know that you oppose it.