Open enrollment is right around the corner (at least for employers that run calendar-year health benefit plans), so many employers will be updating their benefit communication plans. Though not comprehensive, the following is...more
The 2025 open enrollment season for employee benefits is swiftly approaching. With newly released IRS guidance, employers should review the cost of their group health plan(s) to ensure affordability. Companies that rely on...more
We are providing an update to our April 10 article regarding plans to increase the salary threshold for overtime-exempt employees, because on April 23 the Department of Labor released its final rule, Defining and Delimiting...more
4/26/2024
/ Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Exempt-Employees ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Final Rules ,
Highly Compensated Employees ,
Labor Reform ,
Minimum Salary ,
Over-Time ,
Salaried Employees ,
Wage and Hour ,
White-Collar Exemptions
Ready or Not, Here It Comes – What Should Employers Do Now?
The Department of Labor’s September 2023 proposed rule to expand overtime protections to millions of employees is the proverbial freight train heading right for...more
In what many employers will regard as a welcome change, on February 27, 2024, the Oregon Legislature passed Senate Bill 1515 (which Governor Tina Kotek is expected to sign into law right away) to eliminate many of the...more
October 30, 2023 The rule takes effect December 26, 2023 Of Counsel On October 25, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued its Final Rule that dramatically expanded the definition of joint employment under the...more
10/31/2023
/ Collective Bargaining ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Final Rules ,
Joint Employers ,
Labor Reform ,
Labor Regulations ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Unions
As we come to the end of the year, it is a good time for employers with January 1st health plan renewals to review their plan documents and get ready for open enrollment. The following is a checklist that lists some of the...more
10/23/2023
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Compliance ,
Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Flexible Spending Accounts ,
HDHPs ,
Health Insurance ,
Large Employer ,
Notice Requirements ,
Preventive Health Care
Employers, this is your annual reminder that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) requires sponsors of group health plans to notify eligible individuals whether the employer’s prescription drug coverage is...more
9/27/2023
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Deadlines ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Medicare ,
Medicare Part D ,
Open Enrollment ,
Prescription Drug Coverage ,
Prescription Drugs
Any employers muddling through the most confounding labor shortage the construction industry has seen in decades probably have already seen dozens of articles with advice on how to best attract, incentivize, and retain...more
9/20/2023
/ Construction Industry ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Incentive Plans ,
Employee Retention ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Health Insurance ,
ICHRA ,
Individual Retirement Account (IRA) ,
Labor Shortage ,
Prescription Drug Coverage ,
Retirement Plan ,
Telemedicine
On August 2, 2023, the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”), with a majority of members nominated by President Biden, issued a long-awaited decision in Stericycle, Inc. and Teamsters Local 628 (372 NLRB No. 113 (2023))...more
9/7/2023
/ Biden Administration ,
Employee Rights ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
Employment Policies ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
Protected Concerted Activity ,
Regulatory Standards ,
Section 7 ,
Section 8
The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (“PWFA”) was passed as part of the December 29, 2022 Consolidated Appropriations Act, a new federal law that went into effect on June 27, 2023. This federal legislation requires covered...more
8/15/2023
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Civil Rights Act ,
Covered Employer ,
Employee Rights ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Labor Reform ,
New Legislation ,
Oregon ,
Pregnancy ,
Pregnancy Discrimination ,
Pregnant Workers Fairness Act ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
State and Local Government ,
Title VII ,
Undue Hardship ,
Washington