You ask if the coffee shop has the new seasonal drink yet, and the young barista, a Generation Z (Gen Z) member, looks back at you with a blank, expressionless face before pointing to the menu board above. This behavior,...more
9/9/2025
/ Bias ,
Corporate Culture ,
Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I) ,
Employee Engagement ,
Employee Training ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Harassment ,
Human Resources Professionals ,
Job Applicants ,
Managers ,
Workplace Communication
The U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) are rolling out guidance on the new “No Tax on Tips” provision under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB Act), ushering in a significant change for...more
9/8/2025
/ Employer Responsibilities ,
Income Taxes ,
IRS ,
New Guidance ,
New Legislation ,
One Big Beautiful Bill Act ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Required Forms ,
Tax Deductions ,
Tipped Employees ,
Tips ,
U.S. Treasury
The Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training (DLT) issued new rules that clarify what constitutes “retail businesses” regarding calculations of overtime pay requirements and premium pay for work on Sundays and holidays. ...more
California lawmakers are considering several new employment bills ahead of the end of the 2025 legislative session that would impose new compliance obligations on employers. Here is a status report on employment-related...more
9/2/2025
/ Automated Decision Systems (ADS) ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Employee Monitoring ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Notice Requirements ,
Pay Transparency ,
Posting Requirements ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Reporting Requirements ,
State Labor Laws ,
Surveillance ,
Wage and Hour
On August 19, 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed the issuance of preliminary injunctions by district courts that halted National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) unfair labor practice (ULP) proceedings...more
8/21/2025
/ Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) ,
Appellate Courts ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Labor Relations ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
Popular ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Separation of Powers ,
Unfair Labor Practices
The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) recently banned transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports, becoming the latest institution to take such action following President Donald Trump’s Executive Order...more
8/20/2025
/ Civil Rights Act ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Executive Orders ,
Gender Identity ,
International Olympic Committee (IOC) ,
NCAA ,
OCR ,
Olympics ,
SCOTUS ,
Sports ,
Title IX ,
Transgender ,
Trump Administration
On August 14, 2025, the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland ruled that the U.S. Department of Education violated the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) and the U.S. Constitution when it did not follow proper...more
8/19/2025
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Affirmative Action ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Dear Colleague Letter ,
Department of Education ,
Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I) ,
Educational Institutions ,
Fifth Amendment ,
First Amendment ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Race Discrimination ,
Standards & Procedures ,
Students for Fair Admissions v Harvard College ,
Title VI
On August 11, 2025, the Supreme Court of California ruled that the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) does not preempt a state statute requiring employers to timely pay arbitration fees or forfeit the right to arbitration. The...more
8/18/2025
/ Arbitration ,
Arbitration Agreements ,
Arbitration Fees ,
Burden of Proof ,
CA Supreme Court ,
Consumer Contracts ,
Contract Terms ,
Dispute Resolution ,
Employment Contract ,
Federal Arbitration Act ,
Late Payments ,
Mandatory Arbitration Clauses ,
Preemption
California’s minimum wage rate will increase to $16.90 per hour from the current $16.50 per hour, starting on January 1, 2026, based on the recently released minimum wage adjustment calculated by the state’s director of...more
Ohio has eliminated requirements that state contractors maintain written affirmative action programs (AAPs) and that bidders for public improvement construction projects receive affirmative action certifications. ...more
8/13/2025
/ Affirmative Action ,
Construction Industry ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Contractors ,
New Legislation ,
OFCCP ,
Public Bidding ,
Public Projects ,
State and Local Government ,
State Contractors ,
Trump Administration
The Trump administration recently unveiled a new action plan relating to artificial intelligence (AI) technology that focuses on removing regulations and/or other barriers, building upon President Donald Trump’s prior...more
8/8/2025
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Training ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Innovative Technology ,
OSTP ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
State and Local Government ,
Trump Administration
New Jersey lawmakers recently advanced a bill that would expand labor protections for workers in the cannabis industry. If enacted, the measure—which provides stronger union organizing rights, protections for employee...more
On July 8, 2025, the Supreme Court of the United States granted the Trump administration’s request to stay a lower-court judge’s order blocking President Donald Trump’s plan to reduce and restructure the federal workforce,...more
7/9/2025
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Executive Orders ,
Government Agencies ,
Motion To Stay ,
NIOSH ,
NLRB ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Public Employees ,
Restructuring ,
SCOTUS ,
Trump Administration
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Wage and Hour Division (WHD) is withdrawing a Biden-era proposal to end the practice of paying subminimum wages to workers with certain disabilities after determining that the agency lacks...more
The California Civil Rights Council has finally secured approval for its long-awaited regulations regarding employers’ use of artificial intelligence (AI), algorithms, and other automated decision systems. The agency says the...more
7/7/2025
/ Algorithms ,
Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Emerging Technologies ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Employment Policies ,
FEHA ,
Final Rules ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Machine Learning ,
New Regulations ,
Regulatory Requirements
On July 1, 2025, the U.S. Senate nearly unanimously voted to remove a proposed ten-year ban that sought to restrict states and municipalities from enacting or enforcing laws and regulations related to artificial intelligence...more
7/2/2025
/ Algorithms ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Automated Decision Systems (ADS) ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Federal Bans ,
Moratorium ,
New Regulations ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Regulatory Reform ,
State and Local Government ,
Trump Administration
The California Court of Appeal, First Appellate District, recently affirmed a trial court ruling decertifying a wage-and-hour class action alleging a hospital failed to comply with protections for meal and rest periods for...more
7/2/2025
/ Appeals ,
Class Action ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Decertification ,
Employee Rights ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Employment Litigation ,
Evidence ,
Litigation Strategies ,
Rebuttable Presumptions ,
Rest and Meal Break ,
Testimony ,
Wage and Hour
The U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) has issued three proposed rules to implement President Trump’s Executive Order (EO) 14173, which revoked Executive Order 11246 and...more
7/1/2025
/ Affirmative Action ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Contractors ,
Government Agencies ,
OFCCP ,
Proposed Rules ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Rehabilitation Act ,
Trump Administration ,
Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA)
On June 27, 2025, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Wage and Hour Division (WHD) issued new field assistance indicating it will no longer seek liquidated damages in administrative matters against employers for unpaid minimum...more
7/1/2025
/ Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Field Assistance Bulletins ,
Liquidated Damages ,
Minimum Wage ,
New Guidance ,
Over-Time ,
Regulatory Authority ,
Statutory Interpretation ,
Unpaid Wages ,
Wage and Hour
On May 20, 2025, Washington Governor Bob Ferguson took the final step toward implementing House Bill (HB) 1213’s expansion of the state’s paid family and medical leave program when he greenlit funding for the program as part...more
6/20/2025
/ Appropriations Bill ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Rights ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Employment Policies ,
Health Insurance ,
Mini-Warn Acts ,
New Legislation ,
New Regulations ,
Paid Leave ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
State Budgets ,
State Funding ,
State Labor Laws
The Supreme Court of California is set to decide whether the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) preempts a California statute that requires employers to forfeit the right to arbitrate disputes with employees if arbitration fees...more
Recent protests across major U.S. cities, including Los Angeles, have resulted in business disruptions impacting both employers and their employees. The events are a reminder for employers to prepare for emergencies in the...more
On June 2, 2025, the California Senate approved a bill, called the “No Robo Bosses Act,” that would restrict when and how employers can use automated decision-making systems and artificial intelligence (AI) to make...more
On June 5, 2025, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that employees who are part of a majority group do not have a higher evidentiary standard to prove workplace discrimination. ...more
The Trump administration plans to completely eliminate the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) and transfer the agency’s remaining authority to enforce protections in federal contractors for veterans and...more
6/5/2025
/ Affirmative Action ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Disability ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Enforcement Authority ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
OFCCP ,
Opinion Letter ,
Trump Administration ,
Veterans ,
VETS ,
Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA)