EEOC Title VII Guidance Challenged -
On May 21, the Texas attorney general sought a permanent injunction to block the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (“EEOC”) enforcement guidance over gender identity and...more
5/24/2024
/ Bostock v Clayton County Georgia ,
Cemex ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Enforcement Guidance ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Final Rules ,
Gender Identity ,
Mercedes-Benz ,
Minimum Salary ,
Threshold Requirements ,
Title VII ,
UAW ,
White-Collar Exemptions
A bill on the ballot in California this November asks the state’s voters to give the controversial Private Attorney General’s Act (PAGA) a final approval or rejection. ...more
The U.S. Department of Labor recently published a final rule clarifying the rights of employees to authorize a representative to accompany an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) compliance officer during an...more
On Friday, January 12, the United States Supreme Court agreed to hear an appeal from Starbucks on a case involving the termination of seven Memphis, Tennessee employees....more
1/23/2024
/ Appeals ,
Elon Musk ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Employment Litigation ,
Forum Shopping ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Injunctive Relief ,
Multi-Factor Test ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
Reinstatement ,
SCOTUS ,
SpaceX ,
Starbucks ,
Termination ,
Unfair Labor Practices ,
Unions
On January 9, 2024, the U.S. Department of Labor released details of its final rule regarding the proper circumstances for independent contractor classification under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”). On January 10,...more
1/12/2024
/ Biden Administration ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Economic Realities Test ,
Employee Definition ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Final Rules ,
Independent Contractors ,
Misclassification ,
Multi-Factor Test ,
Trump Administration ,
Wage and Hour
Earlier this month, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit upheld the dismissal of a sexual orientation discrimination claim brought by a heterosexual woman who was removed from her position and denied a promotion in...more
In a win for employers, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals issued a decision on December 13, 2023, which formally adopted the “but for” causation standard for retaliation claims brought under the Family Medical Leave Act...more
On December 8, 2023, the National Labor Relations Board’s (“NLRB”) General Counsel published a Memorandum outlining the differences between the new union-friendly election rule that becomes effective on December 26, 2023 and...more
On September 6, 2023, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed legislation making failure to pay wages a criminal offense. The new law, (S2832-A/A154-A), expands New York’s definition of larceny to include “wage theft,”...more
On August 18, 2023, the Fifth Circuit overturned its longstanding precedent established in Dollis v. Rubin, 77 F.3d 777 (5th Cir. 1995). The new standard created in Hamilton v. Dallas County, case number 21-10133, allows for...more
On June 13, 2023, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) carried on with its trend of reversing Trump-era precedent. In its 3-1 decision, The Atlanta Opera, Inc., the NLRB overturned the Trump NLRB’s 2019 decision,...more
In a recent memorandum to all Regional Directors, Officers-in-Charge, and Resident Officers, the National Labor Relations Board’s (“NLRB”) General Counsel, Jennifer Abruzzo, sets forth her view that the proffer, maintenance,...more
On May 24, 2023, the Eleventh Circuit ruled that a failure to accommodate claim under the American with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) is only actionable if the employee establishes that the failure to accommodate negatively...more
The National Labor Relations Board (the “Board”) has traditionally been limited in ways to remedy violations of federal labor law. Often, the Board is constrained to ordering “make-whole” relief like backpay and employee...more
In 2023, several jurisdictions aim to increase enforcement of wage violations. Unsurprisingly, California took the lead when Governor Newsom proposed a budget increase for California’s workplace enforcement agency....more
On September 6, 2022, the National Labor Relations Board (the “Board”) issued a draft rule replacing and significantly altering the Trump-era 2020 joint-employer standard. Standard for Determining Joint-Employer Status...more
A bill that would prohibit most pre-dispute mandatory arbitration agreements is one step closer to becoming law. The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Forced Arbitration Injustice Repeal Act (“FAIR Act”) yesterday...more
On February 10, 2022, the U.S. Senate passed, with wide bipartisan support, the “Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act of 2021 (HR 4445).” This landmark legislation amends the Federal...more
With a newly minted Democratic majority on the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”), the General Counsel of the NLRB, who directs enforcement of federal labor law, has ordered her staff to seek broad remedies - many of...more
In the past few months, there have been several developments regarding California’s controversial Private Attorneys General Act (“PAGA”) and similar legislation making its way through other states.
PAGA permits workers to...more
On July 27, 2021, the CDC revised its advisory guidance - providing that even the fully vaccinated should wear a mask indoors in public if in an area of “substantial or high transmission.” The CDC has provided a map...more
Citing concerns about worker mobility and advocating for increased market competition, President Biden signed Executive Order No. 14036: Promoting Competition in the American Economy, on July 9, 2021. The Order, published in...more
7/15/2021
/ Anti-Competitive ,
Biden Administration ,
Consideration ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Low-Wage Workers ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
Statutory Authority ,
Unfair Labor Practices
On May 5, 2021, the U.S. Department of Labor withdrew the pro-business Independent Contractor Final Rule published in the final days of President Trump’s administration. This withdrawal follows the Department of Labor’s...more
5/10/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Definition ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Freelance Workers ,
Gig Economy ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Independent Contractors ,
Labor Reform ,
Labor Regulations ,
Wage and Hour
On January 14, 2021, the California Supreme Court in Vasquez v. Jan-Pro Franchise International, Inc. held that the three-part “ABC” test previously set forth in Dynamex Operations West Inc. v. Superior Court also applies...more
1/19/2021
/ ABC Test ,
CA Supreme Court ,
Dynamex ,
Employee Definition ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Gig Economy ,
Independent Contractors ,
Misclassification ,
Retroactive Application ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
On September 22, 2020, the Department of Labor (“DOL”) released a proposed rule providing a more employer-friendly interpretation of independent contractor status under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
The proposed rule...more