Greta Ravitsky, Member of the Firm in the Employment, Labor & Workforce Management practice, in the firm’s Houston office, was quoted in Law360 Employment Authority, in “Employers Can't Dodge Wage Obligations After Hurricane Ida,” by Max Kutner. (Read the full version – subscription required.)
Following is an excerpt:
Dealing with Hurricane Ida and its aftermath doesn't mean employers can escape complying with federal, state and local wage and hour requirements, employment attorneys and experts say.
When a natural disaster strikes such as Ida, which made landfall in Louisiana on Sunday before becoming a tropical storm and bringing remnants to the Northeast on Wednesday, employers can't skirt obligations to communicate with workers, pay proper wages and keep records, attorneys said…
Employers who decide to give workers special leave to cope with the storm must make sure they are applying the leave consistently and being clear about its limits, said management-side Epstein Becker Green member Greta Ravitsky, who is based in Texas, another state that gets hit with hurricanes.
"Employers should clearly communicate whether the time will be paid or unpaid and whether employees are required to use their accrued paid time off or vacation time to cover their time off for these reasons," Ravitsky said by email.
