Posted on 26-Aug-09 by The Timekeeper

According to the TMZ website, Lisa Marie Presley has been sued by her ex-nanny, Christine White. According to Ms. White, she was forced to work seven days a week with no meal or rest breaks and no overtime pay.

On the other hand, Ms. Presley has responded that the nanny was provided with a guest house on the grounds where she not only slept at night but took “many breaks.” And she was reportedly paid $650 a day, which is more than most of us make. Assuming the 7-day workweek is true, that would mean the nanny was pulling in $4,550 a week, or as much as $236,600 a year (depending on whether she got paid holidays and vacation or not).

We might shake our heads at celebrity gossip like this, pondering a nanny who would sue for more pay after already getting the equivalent of over $200,000 a year.

But the case highlights some very real issues. If you hire someone to work in your home — a nanny, au pair, housekeeper, whatever — you’re still bound by labor laws. You know, things like minimum wage, overtime and meal breaks.

I’m not saying Lisa Marie broke any laws — right now, it’s just a case of a disgruntled ex-employee making allegations and the ex-employer denying them, and — assuming it goes to trial and isn’t settled out of court — it’ll to be up to a judge to decide who’s right in this particular case. But I hear stories about in-home workers getting taken advantage of all the time.

Look, just because someone works in your home, don’t think you have yourself an indentured servant you can work until they drop. This ain’t the 19th century, folks, and nowadays your employees do have recourse. (And even in the 19th century, most nannies had one day off a week…)

So don’t think they won’t complain to the state or federal authorities, or run to a lawyer to file suit if they think they’re being mistreated. Happens all the time. We usually only hear about the issues involving celebrities, but you don’t have to be a famous actor (or the child of The King) to find yourself in court.

Same thing holds true at home as in the office. Do what’s right. Obey the law. Treat your employees fairly.

So what do you think? If a nanny makes over $200,000 a year, should she complain about not getting overtime? Is she even entitled to overtime pay? Does an employer have a right to ask a nanny to work every day?

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