Allan Bloom
1-212-969-3880
Allan S. Bloom is a nationally recognized trial lawyer and advisor who represents management in a broad range of employment and labor law matters. As a litigator, Allan has successfully defended a number of the world’s leading companies against claims for unpaid wages, employment discrimination, breach of contract and wrongful discharge, both at the trial and appellate court levels as well as in arbitration. He has secured complete defense verdicts for clients in front of juries, as well as injunctions to protect clients’ confidential information and assets.
As the leader of Proskauer’s Wage and Hour Practice Group, Allan has been a strategic partner to a number of Fortune 500 companies to help them avoid, minimize and manage exposure to wage and hour-related risk. Allan’s views on wage and hour issues have been featured in The New York Times, Reuters, Bloomberg and Fortune, among other leading publications. His class-action defense work for clients has saved hundreds of millions of dollars in potential damages.
Allan is regularly called on to advise boards of directors and senior leadership on highly sensitive matters such as executive transitions, internal investigations and strategic workforce planning. He also has particular expertise in the financial services industry, where he has litigated and arbitrated cases, including at FINRA and its predecessors, for more than 20 years.
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Members of the House and Senate introduced companion bills on June 11, 2019 to amend the Fair Labor Standards Act to raise the minimum salary threshold for exempt executive, administrative, and professional (“EAP”) employees to north of $50,000 and to automatically update the threshold every three years. The “Restoring Overtime Pay Act of 2019” (H.R. … Continue Reading
Kansas City, Missouri is the latest jurisdiction (and the second Midwestern city in recent weeks) to enact a law that will prohibit employers from asking job applicants about salary history. The ordinance, which takes effect on October 31, 2019, will apply to employers in Kansas City with six or more employees, and will prohibit such … Continue Reading
The Dallas, Texas City Council has enacted a sick leave ordinance that would require employers to provide eligible employees with paid leave for certain medical and safety-related needs. It remains to be seen, however, whether the ordinance will ultimately take effect. As we have previously reported, in late 2018, a Texas appellate court ruled that … Continue Reading
Effective October 30, 2019, Westchester County, NY employers will be required to provide paid leave to employees who are victims of domestic violence or human trafficking. Leave under the new ordinance will be in addition to paid time off already required to be provided to employees under the Westchester County paid sick leave law, which … Continue Reading
New Jersey will soon become the first state to require certain employers to offer employees tax-favored transportation benefits. S.B. 1567, also known as An Act Concerning Pre-Tax Transportation Fringe Benefits (the “Act”), will require New Jersey employers with 20 or more employees to offer employees the opportunity to make pre-tax elections from their gross pay … Continue Reading
Washington is poised to become the ninth state to pass a law that would prohibit employers from asking job applicants about their salary history. The state legislature recently passed HB 1696, which would, among other things, prohibit employers from inquiring into the prior “wage or salary history” of an applicant for employment. The bill has … Continue Reading
In an opinion letter issued April 29, 2019, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division concluded that a “virtual marketplace company” (“VMC”) that connects service providers with consumers is not the employer of the service providers. The opinion should be a welcome one not only for VMCs and businesses in the “gig economy,” … Continue Reading
Even at a gathering of employment lawyers, HR professionals, and compensation veterans, one of the easiest ways to clear the room is to begin a discussion on the regular rate of pay. Few other topics, even within the general subject of wage and hour law, evoke such a universal sense of bewilderment, if not unbridled … Continue Reading
On March 26, 2019, New York’s highest court delivered a victory for employers in the home care industry, clarifying that employers need only compensate home health aides for 13 hours of a 24-hour shift, provided the employees receive five hours of uninterrupted sleep during an eight-hour sleep break and three hours for meal breaks. Andryeyeva … Continue Reading
As we previously reported, pursuant to a recent amendment to the New York City Human Rights Law, covered employers must now develop and implement a written policy regarding the provision of a lactation room, to be distributed to all new employees upon hire. Among other requirements, the policy must include a statement that employees have … Continue Reading
On March 14, 2019, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued an opinion letter, FMLA 2019-1-A, addressing compliance issues under the Family and Medical leave Act (FMLA). The FMLA provides eligible employees with up to 12 workweeks of unpaid leave during a 12-month period for certain family and medical reasons or to address certain qualifying … Continue Reading
The U.S. Department of Labor’s proposed new overtime rule was published in the Federal Register today. As described in our earlier post, the proposed new rule would: Raise the salary minimum for exemption as an executive, administrative, or professional employee to $679 per week ($35,308 per year). Allow employers to satisfy up to 10% of the … Continue Reading
It’s here. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division unveiled its proposed new overtime rule today. We skipped the 200-plus pages of preamble and jumped right to the proposed regulatory amendments themselves (we’ll digest the prefatory materials in another post). Here’s the deal: The salary minimum for exemption as an executive, administrative, or … Continue Reading
In yet another legal development calling into question a traditional independent contractor relationship in the U.S., the Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit determined that off-duty police officers were employees of a private security company for purposes of the Fair Labor Standards Act. In Acosta v. Off Duty Police Services, Inc. (6th Cir. Feb. … Continue Reading
Our friends at Bloomberg Law are reporting that the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has sent a proposed new federal overtime rule to the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA). OIRA is part of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), which has the responsibility to coordinate interagency Executive Branch review of … Continue Reading
On December 12, Proskauer partners Allan Bloom, Elise Bloom, and Harris Mufson delivered a webinar focused on how recent developments in the law impact the ground rules and key strategies for settlement in four distinct areas of employment litigation. Wage and Hour. Mr. Bloom explained that, in most jurisdictions, settlements of Fair Labor Standards Act … Continue Reading
As discussed in our earlier post, New York State’s annual increases for overtime exemption and minimum wage go into effect on December 31, 2018. Employers whose exempt “administrative” and “executive” employees are currently paid less than the new salary minimums must either increase those salaries to the new levels or start paying the affected employees … Continue Reading
In this episode of The Proskauer Brief, senior counsel Harris Mufson and partner Allan Bloom discuss recent developments in federal overtime rules. The Trump administration recently released its fall 2018 regulatory agenda, with lots of information relating to the Department of Labor (DOL). The DOL appears to be committed to a more business-friendly regulatory framework … Continue Reading
The New York City Council recently passed two bills that would amend the NYC Human Rights Law to expand the requirements of employers with four or more employees to provide lactation space for breastfeeding employees. The bills have been sent to Mayor Bill de Blasio, who is expected to sign them, for consideration. If enacted, … Continue Reading
The Trump Administration unveiled its Fall 2018 Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions (the “Regulatory Agenda”) earlier this week. That’s the biannual report from the federal administrative agencies on the regulatory actions they plan to take in the near and long term. Lots of juicy information in the Regulatory Agenda, but we’ll focus on … Continue Reading
Since 1966, Section 3(m) of the Fair Labor Standards Act permits an employer to take a tip credit toward its minimum wage obligation for tipped employees equal to the difference between the required cash wage (currently $2.13) and the federal minimum wage (currently $7.25). Employers using the tip credit must be able to show that … Continue Reading
In its Fall 2018 Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions, published today, the Trump Administration formally announced its intention to issue a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in March 2019 “to determine the appropriate salary level for exemption of executive, administrative and professional employees.” See our earlier post for what to expect in the proposed new rule.… Continue Reading
It’s that time of year again! New York State’s annual threshold increases for overtime exemption and minimum wage go into effect on December 31, 2018. On that date: The minimum salary for exemption as an “administrative” or “executive” employee increases from $975 per week ($50,700 annually) to $1,125 per week ($58,500 annually) for New York City … Continue Reading
It doesn’t seem that long ago that employers were busily preparing for the new overtime rule that would have doubled the minimum salary level for the “white collar” exemptions from $23,660 to nearly $48,000. That new rule—finalized in May 2016 and set to take effect on December 1 of that year—was struck down by a … Continue Reading
Dems Introduce Bills to Raise Salary Minimum for Overtime Exemption
By Allan Bloom on Posted in FLSA, Wage and Hour
Kansas City, Missouri Passes Ban on Salary History Inquiries
Dallas, Texas Enacts Paid Sick Leave Law, But Its Future Remains in Question
By Allan Bloom, Laura Fant and Arielle E. Kobetz on Posted in Leaves of Absences, Workplace Policies and Procedures
Westchester County, New York to Require Paid Leave for Victims of Domestic Violence
By Allan Bloom and Laura Fant on Posted in Leaves of Absences, Workplace Policies and Procedures
New Jersey Employees to Be Entitled to Pre-Tax Transportation Fringe Benefits
By Allan Bloom, Laura Fant and Arielle E. Kobetz on Posted in Workplace Policies and Procedures
Washington State Legislature Passes Ban on Salary History Inquiries
DOL Validates Independent Contractor Relationships in the On-Demand Marketplace
By Allan Bloom on Posted in FLSA, Wage and Hour
DOL Proposes Updated Regular Rate Rules
By Allan Bloom and Annabel Pollioni on Posted in Class/Collective Action, FLSA, Wage and Hour
N.Y. Court of Appeals Delivers Wage and Hour Victory to Home Care Industry Employers
By Allan Bloom and Andrew Sherwood on Posted in Wage and Hour
New York City Releases Model Lactation Room Policies
By Allan Bloom and Arielle E. Kobetz on Posted in Workplace Policies and Procedures
Don’t Delay: DOL Issues New Opinion Letter on FMLA Leave
By Allan Bloom and Arielle E. Kobetz on Posted in Leaves of Absences
Proposed Overtime Rule Published; Public Comment Period Open Until May 21
By Allan Bloom on Posted in Wage and Hour
Unboxing The Proposed New Federal Overtime Rule
By Allan Bloom on Posted in Wage and Hour
Moonlighting Police Officers Are Employees, Not Independent Contractors, Says Sixth Circuit
By Allan Bloom on Posted in Wage and Hour
Proposed New Overtime Rule Headed to Executive Branch for Review
By Allan Bloom on Posted in Wage and Hour
Proskauer Delivers Webinar on Settling Employment Claims
Reminder: New York Minimum Salary for Exemption, Minimum Wage Increasing on December 31
By Allan Bloom and Rachel Philion on Posted in Wage and Hour
[Podcast]: Recent Developments in Federal Overtime Rules
By Harris Mufson and Allan Bloom on Posted in The Proskauer Brief Podcast, Wage and Hour
NYC Council Passes Bills Expanding Lactation Room Requirements for Employers
By Allan Bloom and Laura Fant on Posted in Accessibility & Accommodation, Workplace Policies and Procedures
Federal Regulatory Agenda Previews Anticipated FLSA Rule Changes
By Allan Bloom on Posted in Wage and Hour
New Federal Tip Rules Expected in October 2018
By Allan Bloom on Posted in Uncategorized
Trump’s Fall Regulatory Agenda Pegs March 2019 For Proposed New Overtime Rule
By Allan Bloom on Posted in Uncategorized, Wage and Hour
New York Minimum Salary for Exemption, Minimum Wage to Increase on December 31
By Allan Bloom and Rachel Philion on Posted in Wage and Hour
New Federal Overtime Rule Expected in March 2019
By Allan Bloom on Posted in Wage and Hour
