While the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic is hopefully behind us, the disease still impacts the employment landscape and likely will continue to do so for some time. Out of the millions of people who have had COVID in the...more
The wait is finally over. Yesterday, January 13, 2022, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) rendered two much-anticipated opinions announcing whether federal regulations mandating workplace COVID-19 precautions...more
1/14/2022
/ Biden Administration ,
Biden v Missouri ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Lack of Authority ,
National Federation of Independent Business v Department of Labor and OSHA ,
OSHA ,
SCOTUS ,
Stays ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
As employers around the country await word from the United States Supreme Court (“SCOTUS”), and as SCOTUS does not seem to be in any rush to end the suspense, we thought it would be helpful to provide a current status report...more
After a wild weekend following some headline-grabbing court rulings, employers are heading into the holidays wondering what on earth is going on with workplace COVID-19 vaccine requirements. While clarity remains elusive, our...more
12/20/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Federal Contractors ,
Injunctions ,
Multidistrict Litigation ,
OSHA ,
State and Local Government ,
Stays ,
Time Extensions ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing
On November 30, 2021, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky issued an order granting a preliminary injunction to halt enforcement of the vaccine mandate for federal contractors set forth in...more
12/2/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Employees ,
Injunctions ,
Multidistrict Litigation ,
OSHA ,
State and Local Government ,
Stays ,
Subcontractors ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
On Saturday, November 6, 2021, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit temporarily suspended the Biden administration’s emergency temporary standard (“OSHA ETS”) for employers with 100 or more employees. As...more
After weeks of waiting, we finally have the new emergency temporary standard (“ETS”) from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, pertaining to workforce vaccination requirements and other COVID-19- related safety...more
11/5/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Deadlines ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Health and Safety ,
New Rules ,
OSHA ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
After days of intense discussions, and multiple amendments, in the wee hours of Saturday, October 30, 2021, the Tennessee legislature passed House Bill No. 9077/Senate Bill No. 9014. This new law will have a significant...more
11/3/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Disability Discrimination ,
Employer Mandates ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Contractors ,
Governor Lee ,
Immunity ,
Masks ,
New Legislation ,
Quarantine ,
Religious Exemption ,
Tennessee ,
Unemployment Benefits ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
On September 9, 2021, President Biden announced several “Path Out of the Pandemic” initiatives designed to increase vaccination rates through workplace vaccine mandates. While the “splashiest” announcement–with potentially...more
10/5/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Covered Employees ,
Covered Employer ,
Covered Entities ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Employees ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
Although most employers were hesitant to implement vaccine mandates following the initial rollout of the COVID-19 vaccines, the still-surging pandemic, driven by the highly contagious Delta variant, has caused many companies...more
9/20/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Employment Policies ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Exempt-Employees ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Religious Exemption ,
Title VII ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
On September 9, 2021, the Biden administration announced its Path Out of the Pandemic initiative, a comprehensive six-pronged plan intended to curb the still-surging Covid-19 pandemic. President Biden’s plan includes some...more
9/13/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Employees ,
Healthcare Workers ,
OSHA ,
Privately Held Corporations ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
There finally seems to be a light at the end of the dark, COVID-19 pandemic tunnel. As spring transitions to summer, COVID-19 case numbers are decreasing while the vaccination rate is increasing. Given these positive...more
6/7/2021
/ Anti-Retaliation Provisions ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Training ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
OSHA ,
State and Local Government ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
Employers will continue having to address concerns related to COVID-19 in the workplace as far into the future as one can predict. Of immediate concern to Employers is curtailing the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace. One...more
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), including the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act (EPSLA) and Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act (EFMLA) was enacted on March 18, 2020. As outlined in prior...more
I. BACKGROUND AND GENERAL GUIDANCE -
On January 31, 2020, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex M. Azar II declared a public health emergency (PHE) for the United States to aid the nation’s healthcare community in...more
COVID-19 is already impacting employers and that impact will be ongoing. As the situation regarding COVID-19 continues to evolve, we will continue to monitor frequently asked questions and prepare our best answers with the...more
3/17/2020
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Emergency Response ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
Pending Legislation ,
Telecommuting ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety