Employees across America are punching out—and cashing in—on wage and hour cases. The number of Fair Labor Standards Act cases filed in federal court between 2010 and 2011 increased more than 15 percent, according to the latest Federal Judicial Caseload Statistics.
The majority of the cases are collective actions, which can pose significant risks to companies. Just this past January, New Jersey-based Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation swallowed a $99 million pill when it settled an overtime case with more than 7,000 plaintiffs.
