A California appellate court has ruled that a wrongful death action filed by an employee and her children arising from the death of the employee's spouse from COVID-19 after she allegedly contracted the virus at work and...more
On October 13, 2021, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) once again issued updated FAQs concerning the application of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title...more
10/27/2021
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Civil Rights Act ,
Confidentiality Policies ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
EEO ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
GINA ,
Pregnancy Discrimination ,
Religious Exemption ,
Title VII ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
Large employers should soon have specific guidance on complying with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) vaccine and testing mandate. On September 9, President Biden announced that OSHA would issue an...more
On September 9, 2021, President Biden announced that COVID-19 vaccinations will be mandatory for a significant swath of the United States workforce. The White House announced a comprehensive, six-pronged plan to combat...more
9/13/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Mandates ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Employees ,
Healthcare Workers ,
OSHA ,
Privately Held Corporations ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
Both practical and legal issues will need to be resolved, but as of today, the EEOC has signaled that mandatory COVID vaccinations are lawful for the vast majority of employees.
On December 16, 2020, the Equal Employment...more
12/17/2020
/ ADEA ,
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Civil Rights Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) ,
Employment Policies ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
GINA ,
OSHA ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Religious Exemption ,
Title VII ,
Undue Hardship ,
Vaccinations
As businesses in Massachusetts and elsewhere continue to carefully re-open it will be necessary to pay close attention to guidance from the CDC and state authorities.
As of August 1, all travelers to Massachusetts must...more
The Massachusetts economy has been battered by the COVID-19 pandemic. On March 23, 2020, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker ordered the mandatory shutdown of non-essential businesses, curtailed essential business...more
The workers’ compensation system was created to ensure that employees who suffer work-related accidents or illnesses are compensated while, at the same time, protecting employers from lawsuits by these employees. It was a...more
As coronavirus infections begin to abate in some parts of the United States, employers are contemplating how to safely and efficiently return to work. It will not be easy.
In the absence of adequate testing and other...more
4/29/2020
/ ADEA ,
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Disability Discrimination ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
Infectious Diseases ,
NLRA ,
OSHA ,
Re-Opening Guidelines ,
Virus Testing
What questions may employers ask their employees about their health status in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic? In today’s episode, Valerie Samuels and Michael Stevens address what’s permissible under the ADA and state and...more