President Trump Signs Executive Order to Limit State Regulation of Artificial Intelligence -
On December 11, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order purporting to limit the ability of states to regulate the use of...more
12/12/2025
/ Arbitration Agreements ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Disabilities ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Arbitration Act ,
Labor Reform ,
New Legislation ,
Preemption ,
SCOTUS ,
Transportation Industry ,
Trump Administration ,
Unions
Record 43-Day Shutdown Ends; Federal Government Reopens -
As a quick recap, the House passed the original Continuing Resolution (CR) in September to fund the federal government through November 21; the CR then went to the...more
11/14/2025
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Appropriations Bill ,
Continuing Resolution ,
Federal Funding ,
Government Shutdown ,
IRS ,
Labor Reform ,
NLRB ,
Over-Time ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Tipped Employees ,
Wage and Hour
Federal Government Shutdown Continues The federal government shutdown continues with no end in sight. Both Republicans and Democrats are dug in their positions, i.e., Senate Republicans continue efforts to advance the...more
10/27/2025
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Continuing Resolution ,
Federal Budget ,
Foreign Workers ,
Government Shutdown ,
H-1B ,
HELP ,
Labor Reform ,
New Guidance ,
NLRA ,
Presidential Proclamations ,
Senate Committees ,
Title VII ,
USCIS
NLRB Challenges California Over New Labor Law =
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) on Thursday filed suit against the state of California and the Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) in the U.S. District Court...more
10/17/2025
/ California ,
Delivery Drivers ,
Independent Contractors ,
IRS ,
Labor Reform ,
New Legislation ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
Preemption ,
State Labor Laws ,
Tipped Employees ,
Unfair Labor Practices ,
Union Elections ,
Unions
The EEOC Regains a Quorum -
On October 7, 2025, the U.S. Senate confirmed the nomination of Brittany Panuccio to be a commissioner of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Once she is sworn in and takes her...more
10/10/2025
/ Amicus Briefs ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Labor Reform ,
New Legislation ,
NLRB ,
Senate Committees ,
State Labor Laws ,
Unions ,
Wage and Hour
Senate Advances DOL and EEOC Nominees -
Earlier today, the Senate voted on a procedural motion to advance the nominations of individuals to serve in key positions at the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and the Equal...more
NLRB Acting General Cowen Issues Guidance on Union Salts -
In a memorandum dated July 24, 2025, National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) Acting General Counsel William Cowen issued guidance to all regional directors,...more
Senate Republicans Introduce Legislation to Empower Independent Workers -
Earlier this week, Senators Bill Cassidy, (R-LA), chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, and Senators Rand Paul...more
Senate HELP Committee Holds Hearing on Labor Nominees; Announces Committee Votes -
On June 18, 2025, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee held a hearing on four nominees for a number of...more
Bipartisan Legislation Introduced to Raise the Minimum Wage -
Senators Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Peter Welch (D-VT) introduced legislation on June 10, titled “Higher Wages for American Workers Act of 2025,” that would raise...more
U.S. Department of Labor Expands Opinion Letter Program -
In an effort to increase official guidance and provide compliance assistance to the regulated community, the U.S. Department of Labor expanded its opinion letter...more
Chairs Walberg (R-MI) and Allen (R-GA) Seek Feedback to Reform the LMRDA -
The House Committee on Education and Workforce Chair Tim Walberg (R-MI) and Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions Chair Rick...more
At a Glance -
The Policy Week in Review, prepared by Littler’s Workplace Policy Institute (WPI), sets forth WPI’s updates on federal, state, and local matters, as well as Littler’s published in-depth analyses of the prior...more
The Policy Week in Review, prepared by Littler’s Workplace Policy Institute (WPI), sets forth WPI’s updates on federal, state, and local matters, as well as Littler’s published in-depth analyses of the prior week....more
3/24/2025
/ Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I) ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Employment Litigation ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Labor Reform ,
Labor Relations ,
NLRB ,
Trump Administration
The Policy Week in Review, prepared by Littler’s Workplace Policy Institute (WPI), sets forth WPI’s updates on federal, state, and local matters, as well as Littler’s published in-depth analyses of the prior week....more
3/10/2025
/ Civil Rights Act ,
Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBA) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employment Litigation ,
Employment Policies ,
Executive Orders ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Labor Reform ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
OCR ,
Title VI ,
Unions
The Policy Week in Review, prepared by Littler’s Workplace Policy Institute (WPI), sets forth WPI’s updates on federal, state, and local matters, as well as Littler’s published in-depth analyses of the prior week....more
3/3/2025
/ Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I) ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Executive Orders ,
Immigration Reform ,
Labor Reform ,
Labor Relations ,
Minimum Wage ,
Paid Leave ,
Pay Transparency ,
Pregnant Workers Fairness Act ,
Small Business ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
The Policy Week in Review, prepared by Littler’s Workplace Policy Institute (WPI), sets forth WPI’s updates on federal, state, and local matters, as well as Littler’s published in-depth analyses of the prior week....more
Under the Fair Work Legislation Amendment (known as the Closing Loopholes Act), as of January 1, 2025, intentional underpayment of employees’ wages and certain benefits will be a criminal offense, with a maximum of 10 years’...more
The U.S. Department of Labor published a final rule on January 9, 2024, defining “independent contractor” under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The final regulation rescinds a 2021 rule defining the same term. In place...more
1/9/2024
/ Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Economic Realities Test ,
Employee Definition ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Final Rules ,
Freelance Workers ,
Gig Economy ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Independent Contractors ,
Labor Reform ,
Misclassification ,
Wage and Hour
On October 26, 2023, the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB” or “the Board”) released a final rule setting forth the standard for joint-employer status under the National Labor Relations Act (“NLRA” or “the Act”). The rule...more
On October 11, 2022, the U.S. Department of Labor released a proposed rule to update the test for determining whether a worker is an employee under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) or an independent contractor. FLSA...more
10/12/2022
/ Corporate Counsel ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Economic Realities Test ,
Employee Definition ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Gig Economy ,
Independent Contractors ,
Labor Reform ,
Misclassification ,
Proposed Rules ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Wage and Hour
On September 6, 2022, the U.S. National Labor Relations Board delivered employers a slightly belated Labor Day “present” – a proposal to revise yet again its standard for determining joint-employer status under the National...more
On April 29, 2022, organized labor achieved a long-sought political objective when the Connecticut House of Representatives passed Senate Bill 163, “An Act Protecting Employee Freedom of Speech and Conscience.” Effective July...more
5/4/2022
/ Collective Bargaining ,
Connecticut ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employee Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
First Amendment ,
Labor Reform ,
Labor Relations ,
Pending Legislation ,
State Labor Laws ,
Union Elections ,
Union Organizers ,
Unions
On March 18, 2022, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) published a notice of proposed rulemaking in the Federal Register, calling for the most sweeping revisions to the rules governing Davis-Bacon Act (DBA) enforcement since...more
On April 7, 2022, General Counsel (GC) Jennifer A. Abruzzo released Memorandum 22-04, The Right to Refrain from Captive Audience and other Mandatory Meetings. As set forth in the memorandum, GC Abruzzo will urge the National...more
4/8/2022
/ Employee Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Free Speech ,
Labor Reform ,
Labor Regulations ,
Labor Relations ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
NLRB General Counsel ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Standards ,
Section 7 ,
Unions