The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) have updated the definition of “close contact” for quarantine purposes. Previous guidance provided that close contact...more
Today Wisconsin’s Department of Health Services issued Emergency Order No. 3 limiting public gatherings. As written, the Order is effective until November 6. The order limits “public gatherings” to no more than 25% of the...more
Late last week, the Department of Labor issued a revised rule to address a New York federal judge’s order from this past August that struck down several provisions of the FFCRA....more
9/16/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Intermittent Leave ,
Labor Regulations ,
New Rules ,
Paid Leave ,
Sick Leave ,
Wage and Hour
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) posted an update to “What You Should Know About COVID-19 and the ADA, the Rehabilitation Act, and Other EEO Laws” on September 8, 2020. The update modified the Q&As to...more
Today the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division published responses to three new frequently asked questions for regarding qualifying for paid leave under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) in...more
By now, many of you have heard that last week a federal judge expanded several provisions of the Family First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). We have been postponing our alert on this hoping the Department of Labor would...more
Wisconsin’s COVID-19 response bill (2019 Wisconsin Act 185) was enacted by the Wisconsin legislature in mid-April. It included provisions to charge unemployment claims caused by the COVID-19 public health emergency to the...more
Governor Evers issued Emergency Order #1 on July 30, 2020 implementing a statewide face covering mandate. The face covering requirement will begin on Saturday, August 1, 2020 and will expire September 28, 2020 or by a...more
You are excited to get back to work! However, a few of your employees are not so eager to shed their jammies for pleated pants or steel-toed shoes. Can you force them to return? On the other hand, some employees who are happy...more
7/28/2020
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Health and Safety ,
Human Resources Professionals ,
Infectious Diseases ,
NLRA ,
Off-Duty Employees ,
OSHA ,
Protected Concerted Activity ,
Re-Opening Guidelines ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Remote Working ,
Workplace Safety
Beginning on Friday, July, 24, 2020 at 11:59 p.m., face coverings must be worn in Minnesota by all persons at indoor businesses, indoor public settings, and by workers outside when social distancing practices cannot be...more
7/24/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Executive Orders ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Masks ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Re-Opening Guidelines ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Social Distancing ,
Workplace Safety
On June 17, the EEOC updated its COVID-19 Guidance to clarify that unlike COVID-19 testing, an anti-body test would be a prohibited medical examination. The FAQ (at A.7) states as follows:
Question: The CDC said in its...more
Many of you are reopening (if you were closed) or bringing back staff who were either laid off or teleworking. With this comes MANY questions, such as: CAN we monitor off-duty conduct, and if so, SHOULD we??
If you are a...more
Late last week, the Wisconsin Safety Council released a brochure for Wisconsin employers to consider as they prepare to reopen...more
Previously we reported on the EEOC’s post entitled “ What You Should Know About COVID-19 and the ADA, the Rehabilitation Act, and Other EEO Laws.”...more
Last Friday, the DOL issued “corrections” to its FFCRA regulations. A link to these corrections is here: FFCRA Corrections. Among other small changes, the DOL has made it crystal clear that an employer may require an employee...more
Today the DOL released detailed regulations with answers to nearly every question we have had over the past two weeks regarding this law. While we are still reviewing these regulations, there are two important details that...more
After much negotiation over the past few days, President Trump signed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the “CARES Act”) into law, a $2 trillion stimulus package aimed at providing critical economic...more
Today, March 25, 2020, the DOL issued a notice employers subject to the FFCRA must post prior to April 1, 2020...more
Shortly after we issued our guidance on the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (H.R. 6201) (the “FFCRA”) last week Friday, the Department of Labor and the Treasury Department jointly issued IRS Bulletin 2020-57 stating...more
Late yesterday, the Department of Labor issued its first FAQ at regarding the FFCRA. In that FAQ the DOL specifically states: Question: Can my employer deny me paid sick leave if my employer gave me paid leave for a reason...more
At about 7:30 p.m. on March 18, President Trump signed a bill into law containing two significant leave provisions that affect nearly every small to mid-sized employer in the country. This law, entitled the Families First...more
Last night, March 16, the House amended versions of a COVID-19 Coronavirus bill we reported on yesterday. Again, this alert will focus only on the two provisions regarding paid leave for employees. The Senate is expected to...more
Late Friday, the House passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”) which provides COVID-19 relief to Americans in several areas. This alert will focus only on the two provisions regarding paid leave for...more
On March 12, 2019, our Department of Health Services issued a “Recommendations on Domestic and International Travel” memo. In that memo the DHS specifically recommends that individuals who return to WI from states with...more
In a followup to yesterday’s e-alert about the COVID-19 virus, please note the CDC has updated its travel advisory as follows...more