On Friday, June 28, the U.S. Supreme Court overruled Chevron, USA Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council. Chevron often required courts to defer to federal agencies when those agencies were interpreting statutes they...more
7/1/2024
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Chevron Deference ,
Chevron v NRDC ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Government Agencies ,
Judicial Authority ,
Regulatory Authority ,
SCOTUS ,
Statutory Interpretation ,
White-Collar Exemptions
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
Federal appropriations are set to expire at midnight (ET) on Saturday, September 30. Unless lawmakers agree to a spending plan before then, much of the federal government will shut down....more
10/2/2023
/ Administrative Agencies ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Federal Budget ,
Federal Funding ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Government Agencies ,
Government Shutdown ,
NLRB ,
Regulatory Agencies
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 June 21, 2022, the Biden administration released its Spring 2022 Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions. These semi-annual regulatory agendas outline federal agency goals for the months ahead. Although the...more
6/23/2022
/ Biden Administration ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Davis-Bacon Act ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Labor Reform ,
Labor Relations ,
NLRB ,
OSHA ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Unions ,
Wage and Hour ,
White-Collar Exemptions
On March 14, 2022, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas delivered a victory for businesses that utilize independent contractors, and for independent contractors themselves, when it held that the...more
3/16/2022
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Definition ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Gig Economy ,
Independent Contractors ,
Labor Reform ,
Labor Regulations ,
Minimum Wage ,
Over-Time ,
Statutory Violations ,
Wage and Hour
Introduction Over a year and a half since the pandemic first started to take its toll on the health and welfare of individuals and the economy, the country is still reeling and struggling to recover. Some employers and...more
9/7/2021
/ Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Mandates ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Labor Regulations ,
Labor Relations ,
NLRB ,
OSHA ,
Supply Chain ,
Telecommuting ,
Unions ,
Vaccinations
On July 29, 2021, the U.S. Department of Labor announced it was formally rescinding regulations issued by the prior administration defining “joint employer” status under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). ...more
On July 22, 2021, the U.S. Department of Labor’s proposed rule to implement and enforce Executive Order 14026, “Increasing the Minimum Wage for Federal Contractors,” was published in the Federal Register. Executive Order...more
On June 11, 2021, the federal government released its unified federal regulatory agenda for spring 2021, which outlines regulatory and deregulation actions agencies expect to take in the coming months....more
6/17/2021
/ Corporate Counsel ,
Davis-Bacon Act ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Deregulation ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Health and Safety ,
Joint Employers ,
Labor Regulations ,
Minimum Wage ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Tipped Employees ,
Tips ,
Wage and Hour
On May 28, President Biden released his $6 trillion budget proposal for the 2022 fiscal year. While final spending decisions are decided by Congress, the president’s budget submission typically provides a general idea of...more
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
On April 27, 2021, President Joseph R. Biden issued an executive order increasing the minimum wage for workers working on or in connection with a federal government contract. Under the order, federal contractors will be...more
4/29/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Executive Orders ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Labor Reform ,
Labor Regulations ,
Minimum Wage ,
Tip Credit ,
Tipped Employees ,
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
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
The federal government recently released its unified federal regulatory agenda–the document that outlines regulatory and deregulatory actions agencies expect to take in coming months....more
7/8/2020
/ Affirmative Action ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Equal Pay Act ,
Federal Contractors ,
Independent Contractors ,
Joint Employers ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Wage and Hour
After giving employers a day off from addressing new information concerning the federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), which took effect April 1 and requires private employers with 499 or fewer employees,...more
4/3/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
EFMLA ,
EPSLA ,
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
New Legislation ,
Quarantine ,
Relief Measures ,
School Closures ,
Shelter-In-Place ,
Sick Leave ,
Sick Pay ,
Tax Credits ,
Trump Administration
On March 24, 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor released an initial set of questions and answers (Q&As) concerning the recently enacted Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). The Q&As focus on the law’s provisions...more
On January 13, 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) released its long-awaited final rule regarding joint-employer status under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The final rule is scheduled to be published in the...more
1/14/2020
/ Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Final Rules ,
Franchises ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Joint Employers ,
Labor Regulations ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Wage and Hour
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, National Labor Relations Board, and the Department of Labor will all issue regulations governing joint employment, according to the federal government’s Unified Agenda of Federal...more
11/21/2019
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
EEO-1 ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
GINA ,
Joint Employers ,
Labor Regulations ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
Pay Equity Laws ,
Private Property ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Unfair Labor Practices ,
Union Organizers ,
Wage and Hour ,
Wellness Programs
As the year draws to a close, employers are assessing the next wave of labor and employment laws and regulations they will face in 2020 and beyond. Most new laws taking effect at the end of 2019 and throughout 2020 are at the...more
11/14/2019
/ Ban the Box ,
California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Criminal Background Checks ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
EEO-1 ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Form I-9 ,
Gender-Based Pay Discrimination ,
Health Insurance ,
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ,
Immigration Reform ,
Independent Contractors ,
Joint Employers ,
Labor Regulations ,
Local Ordinance ,
Marijuana ,
Minimum Wage ,
New Legislation ,
NLRB ,
Paid Time Off (PTO) ,
Pay Gap ,
Popular ,
Raids ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Salary/Wage History ,
Smoking Bans ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour ,
White-Collar Exemptions
After the recent resignation of Alex Acosta, President Trump has announced his intent to nominate Eugene Scalia—son of the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia—as Secretary of the Department of Labor (DOL). The...more
On June 24, 2019, the Department of Labor made public its long-awaited proposed rule establishing a process for DOL to advance the development of Industry-Recognized Apprenticeship Programs (IRAPs). On the same day, DOL...more
On April 1, 2019, the U.S. Department of Labor released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on joint employment under the Fair Labor Standards Act—the third proposed rule published by the agency in the last two weeks....more
Employers will face fewer significant regulations in the coming year, according to the Trump administration's Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions ("regulatory agenda")....more
10/18/2018
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Deregulation ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Employee Training ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Federal Contractors ,
GINA ,
H-1B ,
Joint Employers ,
NLRB ,
OSHA ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
TRICARE ,
USCIS ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Injury