The SBA issued Interim Final Rules and additional guidance regarding the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”). Generally, the PPP provides forgivable loans to small business and nonprofits to cover payroll costs, rent,...more
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”) was signed into law on March 27, 2020. Among other things, the Act provides relief programs for employers, including loans, grants and tax incentives.
...more
The FFCRA requires private employers with fewer than 500 employees and government employers to provide emergency paid sick and FMLA leave benefits to employees for reasons related to COVID-19....more
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”) requires employers with fewer than 500 employees and government employers to provide emergency sick and FMLA leave benefits to employees for reasons related to COVID-19....more
The Paycheck Protection Program is one of the key relief provisions included in the $2 trillion relief package under the CARES Act. This program provides forgivable loans to small businesses and nonprofit organizations to...more
4/2/2020
/ Business Interruption ,
CARES Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Economic Injury Disaster Loans ,
Federal Loans ,
Financial Stimulus ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
Relief Measures ,
SBA ,
SBA Lending Programs ,
Small Business ,
Tax Relief
Over the weekend (March 28 and 29, 2020), the United States Department of Labor updated its Question and Answers webpage providing guidance regarding implementation of the paid sick and FMLA leave provisions of the Families...more
4/1/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
EFMLA ,
EPSLA ,
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
New Legislation ,
Quarantine ,
Relief Measures ,
Sick Leave ,
Sick Pay ,
Small Business ,
Tax Credits ,
Trump Administration
As the COVID-19 crisis continues to develop, one question employers are beginning to ask is whether and when they are obligated to provide notices to employees under the federal and state WARN Acts. ...more
Yesterday afternoon (March 24, 2020), the Department of Labor issued Question & Answer guidance concerning the emergency paid sick leave and expanded FMLA leave provisions of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. For...more
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) updated its guidance for employers facing the ever-increasing challenges arising from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis. ...more
On both Monday and Tuesday, we reported on HR6201, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act bill, which provides employees affected by coronavirus with paid sick leave and paid FMLA benefits. The leave provisions in the...more
On March 14, 2020, the U.S. House of Representatives passed HR6201, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act in response to the ongoing coronavirus emergency. HR6201 includes two new laws relating to employee leave from...more
3/17/2020
/ China ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Crisis Management ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Paid Time Off (PTO) ,
Public Health ,
Sick Leave ,
Sick Pay ,
Trump Administration ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety
Yesterday, we informed you that the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Families First Coronavirus Act, which requires employers with fewer than 500 employees and government employers to provide paid sick leave and paid...more
Since the first reported case of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Wuhan, China, on December 31, 2019, school districts in Illinois have been preparing for a potential outbreak within the state. In so doing, school...more
3/12/2020
/ Absenteeism ,
Best Practices ,
China ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Crisis Management ,
Educational Institutions ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Public Health ,
Risk Management ,
Students ,
Teachers ,
Workplace Safety
OSHA has released “Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19,” a 32-page booklet describing “lower exposure,” “medium exposure,” and “high or very high exposure” risk occupations and what precautions employers can take...more
3/12/2020
/ Best Practices ,
Business Continuity Plans ,
China ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Crisis Management ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
New Guidance ,
OSHA ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Public Health ,
Risk Management ,
Sick Leave ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) released a news alert yesterday addressing the impact of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Rehabilitation Act on employers’ responses to a potential...more
3/5/2020
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Best Practices ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
China ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employee Privacy Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Public Health ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Risk Management ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
The risk of coronavirus may be lower than the flu, but with the numbers of cases and fatalities growing in China and a handful of cases in the United States, some are calling for schools, colleges, and universities to take...more
2/11/2020
/ Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Anti-Harassment Policies ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
China ,
Colleges ,
Educational Institutions ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Emergency Response ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Health and Safety ,
Incident Response Plans ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Public Health ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Risk Management ,
Students ,
Teachers ,
Universities ,
Workplace Safety
In 2019, the Illinois General Assembly enacted, and Governor Pritzker signed into law, P.A. 101-0221, containing sweeping new measures to combat workplace harassment....more
2/5/2020
/ #MeToo ,
Anti-Harassment Policies ,
Corporate Culture ,
Employee Training ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Employment Policies ,
Harassment ,
Hostile Environment ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Risk Management ,
Sexual Harassment ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws
On December 11, 2019, President Donald Trump signed an executive order declaring his administration’s commitment to enforcing federal racial anti-discrimination provisions against discrimination “rooted in anti-Semitism.”...more
12/12/2019
/ Anti-Bullying Laws ,
Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Bullying ,
Civil Rights Act ,
Educational Institutions ,
Executive Orders ,
First Amendment ,
Harassment ,
Israel ,
National Origin Discrimination ,
OCR ,
Race Discrimination ,
Risk Management ,
Students ,
Title VI ,
Trump Administration
On November 5, 2019, the U.S. Department of Labor published a proposed rule that would make it easier for some employers to apply the “Fluctuating Workweek” method of calculating overtime pay for certain non-exempt employees....more
11/5/2019
/ Compensation & Benefits ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Fluctuating Workweek ,
Incentive Compensation ,
Labor Regulations ,
Over-Time ,
Proposed Rules ,
Rate of Pay ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Wage and Hour ,
Work Schedules
On Tuesday, the Board of Governors of the NCAA unanimously voted to reverse its longstanding policy by permitting students participating in athletics to benefit from the use of their names, images, and likenesses in licensing...more
10/31/2019
/ Board of Governors ,
Broadcasting ,
Bylaws ,
Colleges ,
Endorsements ,
Fair Compensation ,
Name and Likeness ,
NCAA ,
Pay-To-Play ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Sales ,
Student Athletes ,
Universities
The seemingly never-ending debate over private sector college- and university-student employment status continues. On Friday, September 20, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) announced its intent to propose a rule...more
9/30/2019
/ Collective Bargaining ,
Colleges ,
Comment Period ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Graduate Students ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
NPRM ,
Proposed Rules ,
Student Employees ,
Students ,
Teaching Assistants ,
Unions ,
Universities
On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Labor issued its final rule concerning overtime exemptions. The rule increases the salary threshold for employees exempt under the executive, administrative, and professional exemptions (the...more
9/26/2019
/ Bonuses ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Exempt-Employees ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Final Rules ,
Highly Compensated Employees ,
Incentive Compensation ,
Minimum Salary ,
New Rules ,
Non-Exempt Employees ,
Obama Administration ,
Over-Time ,
Salaried Employees ,
Trump Administration ,
Wage and Hour ,
White-Collar Exemptions
In a significant decision for employers, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) provided new guidance addressing the intersection of arbitration agreements and the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). The NLRB’s recent...more
9/18/2019
/ Arbitration ,
Arbitration Agreements ,
Class Action ,
Class Action Arbitration Waivers ,
Collective Actions ,
Contract Terms ,
Employment Contract ,
Epic Systems Corp v Lewis ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Labor Regulations ,
Mandatory Arbitration Clauses ,
New Guidance ,
NLRA ,
NLRB
A recent class-action lawsuit filed in Michigan, which seeks to overturn scores of Title IX decisions at Michigan State University, is the first of its kind. The case relies on a 2018 federal court ruling in Michigan that...more
8/6/2019
/ Class Action ,
Colleges ,
Disciplinary Proceedings ,
Due Process ,
Educational Institutions ,
Fourteenth Amendment ,
Gender-Based Violence ,
Public Schools ,
Rape ,
Sexual Assault ,
Sexual Harassment ,
Sexual Violence Policies ,
Students ,
Title IX ,
Universities
A recent Department of Education inquiry regarding transfers of guardianship of college-aged students in Illinois is making news across the country. The Department’s Office of the Inspector General is looking into the...more