Washington state businesses that have noncompetition agreements with employees or independent contractors will be subject to new requirements under the latest amendment to the state’s noncompetition law beginning June 6,...more
5/2/2024
/ Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Exceptions ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Final Rules ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Independent Contractors ,
Labor Reform ,
Labor Regulations ,
Legislative Agendas ,
New Legislation ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Non-Solicitation Agreements ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Washington
On April 23, 2024, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) voted 3-2 to ban the use of nearly all noncompete agreements in America’s for-profit businesses (with only a few narrow exceptions). The party-line vote comes after...more
4/25/2024
/ Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Exemptions ,
Federal Bans ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Final Rules ,
FTC Act ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Proposed Rules ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
Unfair Competition
For some time now, California law has generally prohibited employers from entering into post-employment noncompete agreements with employees unless an exception applies. The basis for this prohibition is found in Section...more
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) published its final independent contractor rule on January 10, 2024. The final rule revises the Trump administration’s interpretation of “employee” under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)...more
1/17/2024
/ ABC Test ,
Classification ,
Commercial Litigation ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Definition ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Final Rules ,
Independent Contractors ,
New Rules ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Wage and Hour
With the 2023 California legislative year closed, it is once again time to summarize the new legislation that will affect businesses operating within the state and highlight relevant action items related to these bills. Below...more
10/24/2023
/ Arbitration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Criminal Background Checks ,
Defamation ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Discrimination ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Labor Reform ,
Labor Regulations ,
Medical Leave ,
Minimum Wage ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Popular ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Reproductive Healthcare Issues ,
Retaliation ,
Sick Leave ,
State Labor Laws ,
Venture Capital ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued Field Assistance Bulletin No. 2023-2 on May 17, 2023, to provide guidance to its field staff regarding enforcement of the Providing Urgent Maternal Protections for Nursing Mothers Act...more
7/11/2023
/ Breastfeeding ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Training ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Enforcement ,
Exceptions ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Human Resources Professionals ,
Lactation Accommodation ,
New Guidance ,
New Legislation ,
Notice Requirements ,
Providing Urgent Maternal Protections for Nursing Mothers Act (“PUMP Act”) ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
State and Local Government ,
Undue Hardship ,
Wage and Hour
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB or the Board) General Counsel Jennifer A. Abruzzo issued a memorandum on May 30, 2023, opining that noncompete agreements contained in employment agreements and severance agreements...more
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced its proposal of a new rule on January 5, 2023, that would ban employers from imposing noncompete clauses on their workers and invalidate all existing noncompetes currently in...more
1/10/2023
/ Biden Administration ,
Competition ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Proposed Rules ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
Unfair Competition
Washington Governor Jay Inslee signed into law the Silenced No More Act (Engrossed Substitute House Bill 1795) on March 24, 2022, making Washington the second state in the nation after California to prohibit employers from...more
4/6/2022
/ Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
Governor Inslee ,
Independent Contractors ,
New Legislation ,
Non-Disclosure Agreement ,
Non-Disparagement Provisions ,
Pre-Employment Agreements ,
Settlement Agreements ,
Sexual Assault ,
Sexual Harassment ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Washington
On October 25, 2021, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) updated its guidance related to the COVID-19 pandemic, adding a brand-new section addressing religious objections to COVID-19 vaccine...more
11/2/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Guidance Update ,
Religious Accommodation ,
Religious Beliefs ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
With the surge of COVID-19 cases due to the Delta variant, many employers are considering whether to require employees to be vaccinated, how to encourage employee vaccinations, and the implications of vaccine policies for...more
9/1/2021
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Employment Policies ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Incentives ,
Masks ,
Paid Leave ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Social Distancing ,
Vaccinations ,
Wage and Hour
With multiple states rolling out phased access to COVID-19 vaccines, many employers are considering whether they want to require employees to be vaccinated, how to encourage employee vaccinations, and the implications of...more
2/2/2021
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Infectious Diseases ,
OSHA ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Reimbursements ,
Religious Accommodation ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Secretary of HHS ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
No one needs an introduction to the dominant theme of 2020 in the field of traditional labor law. The main story, as in nearly all fields of law, was the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on every aspect of American lives....more
1/14/2021
/ Absentee Voting ,
Biden Administration ,
Board of Directors ,
Congressional Oversight ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Joint Employers ,
New Legislation ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Proposed Rules ,
Proxy Voting Guidelines ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Union Elections ,
Unions