On July 20, 2023, the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts dismissed an employee’s Title VII lawsuit, by which she challenged her employer’s denial of her request for religious exemption from a...more
On July 12, 2022, the EEOC issued updated COVID-19 guidance to employers (the “Guidance”). This Guidance, in the form of updated Questions and Answers, addresses various COVID-19 workplace issues, including screening,...more
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently announced an end to its COVID-19 Temporary Policy for List B Identity Documents (Temporary Policy). Under the Temporary Policy, for purposes of I-9 completion, DHS permitted...more
The EEOC recently issued guidance regarding COVID-19 caregiver discrimination. This guidance reiterates previously-issued guidance (Enforcement Guidance: Unlawful Disparate Treatment of Workers with Caregiving...more
3/25/2022
/ Age Discrimination ,
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Anti-Harassment Policies ,
Anti-Retaliation Provisions ,
Caregivers ,
Civil Rights Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Disability Discrimination ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
National Origin Discrimination ,
New Guidance ,
Pregnancy ,
Protected Class ,
Race Discrimination ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Title VII
The EEOC recently issued updated guidance regarding religious objections to COVID-19 vaccination requirements. This updated guidance, in the form of FAQs, addresses the circumstances under which employers may need to provide...more
On February 28, 2022, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts announced that its COVID-19 Emergency Paid Sick Leave (“MEPSL”) law will come to an end, effective March 15, 2022.
Until that time, employers must still comply with...more
On January 26, 2022, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) announced that it is withdrawing the emergency temporary standard that required employers with 100 or more employees to mandate COVID-19...more
OSHA’S COVID-19 VACCINATION AND TESTING EMERGENCY TEMPORARY STANDARD -
Thursday, the United States Supreme Court issued an emergency stay of the Biden Administration’s COVID-19 vaccination and testing and masking...more
1/17/2022
/ Biden Administration ,
Biden v Missouri ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Mandates ,
Healthcare Facilities ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Lack of Authority ,
Masks ,
National Federation of Independent Business v Department of Labor and OSHA ,
OSHA ,
SCOTUS ,
Stays ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT HEARING SCHEDULED FOR JANUARY 7, 2022 -
As detailed in our prior alert, following the revival of the Biden Administration’s COVID-19 vaccination and testing and masking requirement for...more
1/4/2022
/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employment Policies ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Masks ,
New Guidance ,
OSHA ,
Quarantine ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
Join us (virtually) for the 13th Annual Law Update, where we’ll review 2021 hot topics in employment law and look ahead to 2022. The two programs will cover different topics so please sign up for both, if...more
12/23/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Employment Policies ,
Human Resources Professionals ,
Medical Leave ,
Mental Health ,
Paid Family Leave Law ,
Paid Sick Leave ,
Paid Time Off (PTO) ,
State Labor Laws ,
Vaccinations ,
Wage and Hour ,
Webinars
On December 17, 2021, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit revived OSHA’s Emergency Temporary Standard (“ETS”) mandating COVID-19 vaccination or testing and masking for employers with 100 or more...more
Many Massachusetts employers currently have COVID-19 vaccination policies that permit employees to elect whether to get vaccinated or, alternatively, to wear face coverings and get weekly COVID-19 tests. An open question has...more
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued new guidance on Tuesday, December 14th, clarifying under what circumstances COVID-19 may be considered a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act...more
On December 7, 2021, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia issued a nationwide injunction temporarily barring the federal government from enforcing the Biden Administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate...more
On November 4, 2021, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) issued its long-anticipated COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing Emergency Temporary Standard (“ETS”). Businesses have been impatiently awaiting this...more
11/5/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Covered Employer ,
Deadlines ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Employment Policies ,
Failure to Comply ,
Masks ,
Notice Requirements ,
OSHA ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Sick Employees ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Illness and Injury Reporting ,
Workplace Safety
Recently, both the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force issued updated guidance for employers concerning COVID-19 vaccination mandates.
EEOC GUIDANCE UPDATES -
The Equal...more
EXTENSION OF MASSACHUSETTS EMERGENCY PAID SICK LEAVE (“EPSL”) -
On September 29, 2021, Governor Baker approved legislation extending EPSL benefits to April 1, 2022, or until the $75 million in program funds is exhausted,...more
On September 9, 2021, President Biden issued an Order requiring federal contractors to mandate COVID-19 vaccinations and provide other COVID-19 safeguards, as reported in our client alert dated September 10, 2021. On...more
9/27/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Mandates ,
Exceptions ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Employees ,
Masks ,
Social Distancing ,
Subcontractors ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
On September 9, 2021, President Joe Biden announced sweeping COVID-19 vaccination and testing requirements applicable to both public and private employers nationwide. The following is an overview of the important upcoming...more
9/10/2021
/ Ambulatory Surgery Centers ,
Biden Administration ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Employees ,
Healthcare Facilities ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Home Healthcare Workers ,
Hospitals ,
New Rules ,
Nursing Homes ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing
Effective today (August 27th), individuals must wear masks in all of Boston’s indoor public settings. As the City of Boston explained in its August 20th “Order Requiring Face Coverings in the City of Boston,” the mask mandate...more