In anticipation of Valentine’s Day, SHRM published an article highlighting a new survey on office romances. Among the key findings of the survey: 34% of employees are or have been in a workplace romance, compared to 26% in...more
In week four, the Administration’s labor and employment activity includes further reversal of Trump era initiatives at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), including a move to protect “Scabby the Rat”, the nomination of...more
2/15/2021
/ Administrative Appointments ,
Biden Administration ,
Labor Reform ,
Labor Regulations ,
Labor Relations ,
Minimum Wage ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
NLRB General Counsel ,
Unemployment Insurance ,
Unions ,
Wage and Hour
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued enhanced COVID-19 safety guidance to help employers and their employees implement a COVID-19 prevention program and better identify risks which could...more
In week two, the Biden administration shook things up at the National Labor Relations Board with the firing and replacement of General Counsel Peter Robb, walked back President Trump’s pro-independent contractor agenda at the...more
2/1/2021
/ Administrative Appointments ,
Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Independent Contractors ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Labor Reform ,
Labor Regulations ,
NLRB General Counsel ,
OSHA ,
Race Discrimination ,
Tip-Pooling
During the first 100 days of the new administration, each Friday we will be providing a run-down of significant initiatives and events that will impact employers. We already have much to report. President Biden hit the ground...more
1/22/2021
/ Administrative Appointments ,
Bias ,
Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I) ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Infectious Diseases ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
NLRB General Counsel ,
OFCCP ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Workplace Safety
On his second day in the Oval Office, President Biden issued an Executive Order on Protecting Worker Health and Safety directing the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) to intensify its efforts to protect...more
Media reports indicate that President-Elect Joe Biden will tap Boston Mayor Marty Walsh to serve as Secretary of Labor in his administration....more
The U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Wage and Hour Division was hard at work in the closing days of 2020, endorsing the use of electronic posting of required notices and telemedicine visits under the Family and Medical Leave...more
The Department of Labor (“DOL”) released an opinion letter addressing whether certain overtime payments based on an expected number of hours may be credited towards the amount of overtime pay owed under the Fair Labor...more
Last week, Congress reached a deal on a second pandemic relief package which includes the enactment of the Economic Aid to Hard-Hit Small Business, Nonprofits, and Venues Act (Act), which has now been signed by President...more
On December 16, 2020, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) expanded on its COVID-19 Q&A guidance to address the interplay of vaccines with employment discrimination laws. While the agency confirms that...more
12/18/2020
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Civil Rights Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Title VII ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
At the outset of the pandemic, many employers were unsure of how OSHA would conduct inspections and issue citations regarding COVID-19 related issues. Early guidance from OSHA indicated that regulatory standards could be...more
12/10/2020
/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
General Duty Clause ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Masks ,
OSHA ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Public Health ,
Regulatory Standards ,
Workplace Safety
As if employers aren’t already tested managing the challenges of the pandemic, on September 30, OSHA updated its COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions to remind employers about their duty to report and record COVID-19 related...more
10/6/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Health and Safety ,
Labor Regulations ,
Occupational Exposure ,
OSHA ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Risk Management ,
Sick Employees ,
Workplace Hazards ,
Workplace Illness and Injury Reporting ,
Workplace Safety
Last summer, the Illinois General Assembly enacted SB75, which among other mandates, requires all Illinois employers to provide annual anti-harassment training to their employees. Illinois employers have until December 31,...more
As previously reported, the Illinois Human Rights Act was amended to require employers to report adverse judgments and administrative rulings in cases involving sexual harassment or unlawful discrimination to the Illinois...more
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC”) has updated its technical assistance document, “What You Should Know About COVID-19 and the ADA, Rehabilitation Act, and Other EEO Laws” to include additional...more
9/25/2020
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Disability Discrimination ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Infectious Diseases ,
New Guidance ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Rehabilitation Act ,
Workplace Safety
Earlier yesterday, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York struck down four key provisions of the U.S. Department of Labor’s (“DOL”) regulation implementing the paid leave provisions of the Families...more
On July 16, 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor released an updated suite of FMLA forms for employers. According to the Department, the forms are designed to be simpler and easier to understand and complete, substituting check...more
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently developed a COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) document to provide a central location for commonly asked questions concerning steps employers can take...more
On July 8, the U.S. Supreme Court issued two 7-2 decisions involving religious exemptions to federal employment and benefits laws....more
7/10/2020
/ Administrative Authority ,
Administrative Procedure Act ,
Affordable Care Act ,
Age Discrimination ,
Appeals ,
Contraceptive Coverage Mandate ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Disability Discrimination ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Employer Mandates ,
Employer Rights ,
Employment Discrimination ,
First Amendment ,
Freedom of Religion ,
HRSA ,
Injunctive Relief ,
Little Sisters of the Poor Saints Peter and Paul Home v Pennsylvania ,
Ministerial Exception ,
Religious Exemption ,
Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) ,
Religious Schools ,
Reversal ,
SCOTUS ,
Teachers ,
Trump v Pennsylvania ,
U.S. Treasury
On July 2, 2020, the City of Chicago issued Public Health Order 2020-10, which requires persons entering the City of Chicago from certain states to self-quarantine for a period of 14 days. Additional details are included in a...more
7/7/2020
/ City of Chicago ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Essential Workers ,
Exceptions ,
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ,
Homeland Security Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) ,
Local Ordinance ,
Operators of Essential Services ,
Quarantine ,
Traveling Employee
In Field Assistance Bulletin No. 2020-4, issued June 26, 2020, the United States Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, recognized a number of ways an employee can establish eligibility for Family First Coronavirus...more
7/1/2020
/ Business Closures ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ,
Field Assistance Bulletins ,
Paid Leave ,
School Closures ,
Sick Leave ,
Summer Camps
As all four regions of the State of Illinois work toward entering Phase 4 of the Restore Illinois Plan on June 26, 2020, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker released new guidelines to help businesses and other activities safely...more
The EEOC recently updated its COVID-19-related Q & A’s to assist employers in navigating “the new world” post-COVID-19 while complying with the federal anti-discrimination laws as employees return to work....more
6/22/2020
/ ADEA ,
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Anti-Harassment Policies ,
Civil Rights Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
High Risk Covid Employees ,
Pregnancy Discrimination ,
Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA) ,
Re-Opening Guidelines ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Return-to-Work Agreements ,
Sex Discrimination ,
Title VII ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
On Friday, June 5, 2020, Governor Pritzker signed into law Public Act 101-0633, which amends the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act to create a rebuttable presumption that a first-responder or essential worker who contracts...more