Freedom of Speech. Most Americans seem to agree it is the most fundamental of rights guaranteed under the Bill of Rights, and many are quick to cite their First Amendment protections whenever faced with unpleasant...more
Late Friday afternoon, the City Council for Oklahoma City adopted an emergency city ordinance in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. In short, the ordinance requires that “all persons shall wear face coverings when...more
As the COVID-19 Coronavirus problem grows, employers will face increasing challenges on a variety of workplace issues. Health experts anticipate travel restrictions, business closings, suspension of schools, and widespread...more
3/4/2020
/ Best Practices ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Public Health ,
Risk Management ,
Sick Leave ,
Traveling Employee ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety
As Oklahoma lawmakers make their way through the 2020 legislative session, I thought I would take a moment to look back at significant employment-related legislation passed in 2019.
For employers, 2019 was the year of the...more
Oklahoma took its second major step into the field of medical marijuana yesterday, as Governor Stitt signed into law the so-called “Unity Bill” — a comprehensive measure designed to add regulatory clarity in the industry made...more
3/15/2019
/ Adverse Employment Action ,
Drug Possession ,
Drug Testing ,
Employee Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Job Applicants ,
Job Duties ,
Marijuana ,
Medical Marijuana ,
New Legislation ,
Patients ,
State Labor Laws ,
Workplace Safety
In a bit of a surprise move, the U.S. Supreme Court today passed on an opportunity to provide some long-awaited clarity on the interplay between sexual orientation and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In Evans v....more
12/12/2017
/ Appeals ,
Civil Rights Act ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Evans v Georgia Regional Hospital ,
Gender Identity ,
LGBTQ ,
Proposed Amendments ,
SCOTUS ,
Sex Discrimination ,
Sexual Orientation ,
Sexual Orientation Discrimination ,
Sexual Stereotyping ,
Split of Authority ,
Title VII
As we previously discussed, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration made waves earlier this year with its newly announced position that employers who conduct post-accident drug or alcohol testing might violate...more
On September 7, 2015, President Obama signed Executive Order 13706, an order that requires federal contractors to provide paid sick leave to their employees. Last week, the U.S. Department of Labor issued its long-awaited...more
Responsible employers routinely test employees for the use of illegal drugs. Testing promotes safety, controls workers’ compensation costs and promotes compliance with federal regulations. Oklahoma law gives employers the...more
One of the most common matters that we assist our clients in understanding is the set of legal parameters under which an employer can conduct employee drug and alcohol testing. For a variety of reasons, we encourage employers...more
In March of 2014, President Obama issued a presidential memorandum directing the secretary of labor to “update” and “modernize” the regulations under which the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) manages the Fair Labor Standards...more
Friday morning, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its long-awaited opinion on the constitutionality of state laws banning or limiting the recognition of same-sex marriages. As we predicted here, the Court has, once and for all,...more
Over the past few years, we’ve warned our employer clients that discipline of employees for social media activity has become risky business. The National Labor Relations Board has taken the position that employee commentary...more
4/7/2015
/ Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) ,
Managers ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
Obscenity ,
Popular ,
Protected Concerted Activity ,
Social Media ,
Unfair Dismissal ,
Unfair Labor Practices ,
Union Related-Speech
At this point, employers have become all too familiar with the new, aggressive enforcement agenda of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The agency’s systemic initiative to root out alleged discriminatory employment...more
11/25/2014
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Discrimination ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Government Investigations ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Job Applicants ,
Pre-Employment Health Screenings ,
Staffing Agencies ,
Strategic Enforcement Plan ,
Title VII
As you all know, the last several weeks and months have seen an unmistakable trend in federal court decisions paving the way for same-sex marriage in a majority of states. But just when it appeared that same-sex marriage...more
In our recent webinar, McAfee & Taft attorneys shared with you a number of ramifications from the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that effectively legalized same-sex marriage in Oklahoma. One of the key questions we...more
11/5/2014
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Discrimination ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Health Insurance ,
IRS ,
Same-Sex Marriage ,
Sex Discrimination ,
Sexual Orientation Discrimination ,
Title VII
Back in school, I recall reading the short story The Lady or the Tiger? It’s about a woman made to choose between two fates for her would-be husband, neither of which was particularly pleasant. What she would choose is left...more
In the words of noted American statesman Benjamin Franklin, “in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” Given Franklin’s thoughts, yesterday’s decision by the U.S. Supreme Court in the case of...more