On May 25, 2021, Governor Brian Kemp signed an Executive Order (Order) prohibiting any state agency, provider of state services, or state property from implementing a Vaccine Passport Program (VPP) or otherwise requiring an...more
On May 28, 2021, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) provided its first comprehensive update of its guidance since December 2020 (before COVID-19 vaccinations were broadly available) regarding COVID-19. ...more
6/1/2021
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Civil Rights Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Incentive Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
GINA ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Religious Accommodation ,
Title VII ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
On May 6, 2021, the U.S. Department of Labor formally withdrew final regulations promulgated earlier this year under the prior administration which set forth, for the first time by way of an Administrative Procedure Act...more
5/14/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Definition ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Freelance Workers ,
Gig Economy ,
Independent Contractors ,
Labor Reform ,
Labor Regulations ,
Wage and Hour
Last week, President Biden marked his 100th day in office. This Lightbulb illuminates some of the more important developments affecting wage and hour law taken during the first 100 days of the Biden administration....more
5/4/2021
/ American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 ,
Biden Administration ,
Employee Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Federal Contractors ,
Gig Economy ,
Independent Contractors ,
Joint Employers ,
Labor Reform ,
Labor Regulations ,
Liquidated Damages ,
Minimum Wage ,
Wage and Hour
On March 11, 2021, the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL” or “the Department”) announced proposals to roll back two Trump administration regulations under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA” or “the Act”)....more
3/12/2021
/ Corporate Counsel ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Economic Realities Test ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Gig Economy ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Independent Contractors ,
Joint Employers ,
Labor Reform ,
Misclassification ,
Wage and Hour
It has been just one month since the inauguration of Joseph Biden as the 46th president of the United States, and he has been moving quickly to change the wage and hour landscape. This Lightbulb illuminates some of the more...more
2/22/2021
/ Administrative Appointments ,
Biden Administration ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Labor Law Violations ,
Labor Reform ,
Minimum Wage ,
Opinion Letter ,
Payroll Audit Independent Determination program (PAID) ,
Regulatory Freeze ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Wage and Hour
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has announced the immediate termination of its Payroll Audit Independent Determination (PAID) program. The PAID program began in March 2018 as a pilot program to allow employers an...more
2/2/2021
/ Back Wages ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Labor Law Violations ,
Labor Reform ,
Minimum Wage ,
Over-Time ,
Payroll Audit Independent Determination program (PAID) ,
Unpaid Wages ,
Voluntary Self-Audit ,
Wage and Hour
On the last full day of the Trump administration, the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) clarified that staffing firms can qualify as “retail or service establishments” under FLSA section 7(i). Prior to May...more
On January 6, 2021, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) finalized its highly anticipated independent contractor rule. The rule delivers on the DOL’s promise to simplify, clarify and harmonize the factors for determining when...more
On December 22, 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued a final rule solidifying tip credit issues under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The rule becomes effective 60 days after its publication in the Federal...more
12/24/2020
/ Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Food Service Workers ,
Labor Reform ,
Labor Regulations ,
Restaurant Industry ,
Tip Credit ,
Tipped Employees ,
Wage and Hour
On September 22, 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) released a long-anticipated proposed rule addressing when a worker is an employee or independent contractor under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)....more
9/23/2020
/ Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Economic Realities Test ,
Employee Definition ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Gig Economy ,
Independent Contractors ,
Labor Reform ,
Misclassification ,
NPRM ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Regulatory Standards ,
Wage and Hour
Georgia recently became the ninth state to shield businesses from liability stemming from COVID-19. Governor Brian Kemp signed the new law, the Georgia COVID-19 Pandemic Business Safety Act, on August 5, 2020, and the new...more
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recently issued a roadmap of critical tasks for employers ready to get their staff back in the office. To date, the majority of guidance has focused on workplaces that remained open...more
Have you updated your Workplace Safety and Health Program to identify and address the new hazards COVID-19 creates? If not, now is the time, as OSHA expects employers to assess their workplaces to identify the ways their...more
6/1/2020
/ Bodily Injury ,
Construction Workers ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Training ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
General Duty Clause ,
Occupational Exposure ,
OSHA ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Screening Procedures ,
Workplace Hazards ,
Workplace Injury ,
Workplace Safety
On May 19, 2020, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued an Updated Interim Enforcement Response Plan for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) (the Updated Plan), providing new guidance to all OSHA...more
Does an employer’s business qualify as a “retail or service establishment” for the purpose of satisfying the exemption requirements of section 207(i) of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act? The answer to this question might...more
While the White House plans to sign an executive order to keep meat and poultry processing facilities open, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)...more
5/1/2020
/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Farm Animals ,
Food Manufacturers ,
Food Safety ,
Food Supply ,
Infectious Diseases ,
OSHA ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Poultry ,
Public Health ,
Workplace Safety
Continuing its recent trend to update employers on COVID-19 safety, on April 13, 2020, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued an Interim Enforcement Response Plan for Coronavirus Disease 2019...more