On December 21, 2021, the City of Chicago issued Public Health Order 2021-2, which requires certain indoor establishments (including restaurants, gyms, and entertainment venues) to verify the COVID-19 vaccination status of...more
On July 9, 2021, President Biden issued an executive order aimed at promoting competition in the economy, including directing the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to consider exercising its rulemaking authority “to curtail the...more
On October 29, 2021, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signed House File 902 into law, a measure that requires Iowa employers with mandatory COVID-19 vaccine policies to waive their requirements for employees who seek vaccination...more
11/2/2021
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Governor Reynolds ,
New Legislation ,
OSHA ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Religious Accommodation ,
Temporary Regulations ,
Termination ,
Unemployment Benefits ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing
On October 11, 2021, Governor Greg Abbott issued Executive Order (EO) No. GA-40, prohibiting any entity in Texas from requiring any individual, including an employee, to receive a COVID-19 vaccination if that individual...more
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an explosion of remote work, including for positions traditionally not considered eligible for remote work. As employers have returned employees to office work environments, some employees who...more
Since it was passed in 1998, Iowa’s Drug-Free Workplaces Act has been one of the most comprehensive and complex drug-testing statutes in the United States. On June 25, 2021, the Iowa Supreme Court issued a pair of decisions -...more
On August 13, 2021, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed into law Senate Bill (SB) 672, an amendment to the Illinois Freedom to Work Act. While the law codifies substantive Illinois common law on restrictive covenants, it...more
As the delta variant (B.1.617.2, which is one of the genetic variants of SARS-CoV-2) fuels a substantial rise in COVID-19 cases in unvaccinated individuals, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated...more
On July 9, 2021, President Biden signed a sweeping executive order aimed at promoting competition in the economy. The order includes 72 initiatives that President Biden says will address pressing competition problems and...more
In the wake of an increased focus on racial justice in the summer of 2020, many employers began to recognize and observe Juneteenth as a way to demonstrate their commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)...more
On April 2, 2021, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced updated guidance on domestic and international travel. The guidance includes new recommendations for those fully vaccinated (defined as two...more
On February 25, 2021, Wisconsin joined Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, and Wyoming in...more
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a transformation of the workplace and an explosion of remote work, including for employees previously not covered under employers’ telecommuting policies. Despite the reopening of most state...more
On July 30, 2020, Wisconsin joined 31 other states - including Alabama, California, and Pennsylvania - with a statewide face covering order. Governor Tony Evers issued Emergency Order #1, requiring all individuals in...more
Many people have commented on social media regarding the anti-racist movement that has been gaining strength in the wake of police officers killings around the country. Unfortunately, some of these posts are inflammatory,...more
6/23/2020
/ Employee Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Employment Policies ,
First Amendment ,
Free Speech ,
Hostile Environment ,
NLRA ,
Political Speech ,
Private Sector ,
Protected Activity ,
Race Relations ,
Risk Management ,
Social Networks
On May 13, 2020, the Wisconsin Supreme Court issued its decision in Wisconsin Legislature v. Secretary-Designee Andrea Palm, et al. and declared the state’s Safer at Home Order unlawful, invalid, and unenforceable, creating a...more
5/20/2020
/ Constitutional Challenges ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Executive Orders ,
Governor Evers ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Shelter-In-Place ,
State Constitutions ,
State Health Departments ,
Void and Unenforceable ,
WI Supreme Court
On April 16, 2020, Wisconsin Department of Health Services Secretary Andrea Palm issued an updated Safer at Home Order (Emergency Order #28), which extends and makes certain adjustments to the agency’s original order that...more
On March 24, 2020, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers issued “Emergency Order #12: Safer at Home Order” in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The order, which requires Wisconsin residents to “stay at home or place of residence”...more
Following a nationwide trend (including California, Delaware, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and other states), Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers announced he will be issuing a safer-at-home order in response to the COVID-19 outbreak....more
On March 20, 2020, Illinois joined California, New York, and Pennsylvania in issuing a sweeping closure order to contain the spread of COVID-19. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker issued Executive Order 2020-10, Executive Order...more
California, Connecticut, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and New York have all issued statewide shelter-in-place orders in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and more states may follow. Employers that do not qualify for an exemption...more
After ending 2018 with a slew of new employment laws, Illinois continues to enact legislation impacting employers. Following the example set by California, Washington, and other states recently, the Illinois legislature...more
6/12/2019
/ #MeToo ,
Anti-Harassment Policies ,
Board of Directors ,
Corporate Governance ,
Diversity ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Equal Pay ,
Federal Arbitration Act ,
New Legislation ,
Pay Equity Laws ,
Sexual Harassment ,
State Labor Laws ,
Woman Board Members
Employers frequently wonder when to pay bonuses to employees on leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). Do employees who do not meet certain goals due to leave qualify for such bonuses?...more
Last year, a Wisconsin court of appeals held that it was unsettled under Wisconsin law whether employers may be required to pay employees for time spent driving between home and work in company vans if the vans are also...more
On March 14, 2019, Keith Sonderling, the acting administrator of the Wage and Hour Division (WHD) of the Department of Labor (DOL) issued an opinion letter clarifying the DOL’s position on designating and taking leave under...more