Skip to main content

Updated: Judge Decertifies Conditional Class Action Certification Granted to Minor Leaguers


Earlier this month, I had provided an update on a Fair Labor Standards Act ("FLSA") suit that had been filed several minor leaguers that claimed they were not paid paid overtime nor minimum wage for their work.  (Readers might remember the suit had received conditional class certification previously.)  In addition, readers might recall that a bill had recently been introduced in Congress which would prohibit minor leaguers from earning minimum wage.  The bill, known as the "Save America's Pastime Act", was quickly met with harsh criticism....so harsh that one of the sponsors of the bill almost immediately withdrew her support of the bill.

In regard to the FLSA suit, however, a federal judge recently decertified the class on the grounds that adjudicating the case on a collective basis would be unimaginable, if not impossible.  In the judge's opinion, he noted that the individual issues that would arise when considering the rate of pay each player received, how many hours they worked, etc were too extensive and varied to group everyone together in a class action.  (Of course, one of the requirements to get a class action certified is the requirement that the issues/facts of the case are "common enough" among the potential members of the class to warrant grouping all the parties together and trying the case as one big group).

This is not necessarily the end of the case, but it certainly makes it harder to proceed as the decertification of the class splinters the potential 2,000 players involved in the suit and would now force them to litigate their claims individually.  Of course, that would likely involve attorney's fees above and beyond what many players could afford.  

Stay tuned to see how this one plays out.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

NLRB: Discussion Among Employees About Tip Pooling is Protected Concerted Activity

  This Advice Memorandum from the National Labor Relations Board’s Associate General Counsel, Jayme Sophir, addressed whether employees which discussed and complained about tip pooling at work constituted protected concerted activity. In relevant part, an employer in New York operated a chain of steakhouses.  While tip pooling was in place at these steakhouses, some of the employees objected to it on the grounds that it was not transparent and improperly divided tips among the workers.  Employees were told not to complain or talk to each other about the tip pool and were told that doing so would endanger their jobs.  Despite the employer later attempting to provide some clarity as to how the tips were being divided, rancor still existed among some employees.  At one point, the employees were told by a general manager that some employees that had been talking about the tip pool were “cleared out” and the employer would continue to do so. In the Advice Memorandum,...
Post a Comment
Read more

Breaking: Labor Secretary Rumored to Be Leaving Administration

A few hours ago, word leaked out that Labor Secretary Marty Walsh (“Walsh”) is in the midst of negotiations to head up the NHL Players Union and leave his position at the Labor Department. Walsh, who has served as the sole Labor Secretary under President Biden, has taken part in a labor renaissance of sorts as support for organized labor has increased during his term as Labor Secretary (although the number of workers that have joined a union over the past two years has not grown as mush as some expected.)  He has also overseen the ongoing negotiations with rail workers over a new contract, although that matter is still on shaky ground and playing out as we speak. As for who might step into the vacant Labor Secretary role, there are already rumblings that President Biden should nominate Deputy Labor Secretary Julie Su (a strong labor advocate) or even a progressive like Senator Bernie Sanders.  Until Walsh officially gives his notice, however, I would expect some/many potential...
Post a Comment
Read more

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie Vetoes Minimum Wage Hike

A few months ago, readers might remember that I pointed out that the New Jersey Legislature had voted to approve a minimum wage hike in the state .  Under the approved legislation, the minimum wage rate would rise to $10.10/hour in the next year and at least $15/hour over the next five.  (The current minimum wage rate in the state is $8.38/hour).  In that article, I had noted that the bill was then going to go before Governor Chris Christie for his approval or veto. As I had suggested previously, I thought that the Governor would likely veto the bill based upon his prior actions and comments on similar legislation.  Well, a few days ago, Governor Christie did just that and vetoed the bill on the grounds that it "would trigger an escalation of wages that will make doing business in New Jersey unfathomable."  Pointing to the increase in hourly minimum wage rates, the Governor referred to the bill as a "really radical increase."  (It is interesting to c...
Post a Comment
Read more