Whether bonus payments to employees are “wages” under the New York Labor Law is an oft-litigated issue in employment disputes. This issue is important because, for among other reasons, New York’s public policy and statutes severely penalize employers who improperly deduct amounts from employees’ “wages.” Thus, if a law firm’s contract or nonequity partners are considered “employees,” the issue of what constitutes “wages” and what does not could be significant. The issue of what constitutes a “wage” in the law firm context has recently been addressed in Doolittle v. Nixon Peabody, 155 A.D.3d 1652 (4th Dep’t 2017).

In this month’s column, we provide some background concerning the New York Labor Law and address Doolittle.

‘Wages’