The past year has brought sweeping changes to the world of work. Federal agencies finalized rules on minimum wage and overtime exemptions, union representation elections, pregnancy accommodations, OSHA inspections, and...more
Executive Summary -
2024 promises to be a consequential year for employers. The U.S. is preparing for an election that will likely have a significant impact on the future of employment and labor law. At the same time,...more
5/8/2024
/ Annual Reports ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Bias ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employees ,
Employment Litigation ,
Employment Policies ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Human Resources Professionals ,
Labor Law Violations ,
State Labor Laws ,
Surveys
On October 30, 2023, President Biden issued an “Executive Order on the Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence” to address the growing concerns surrounding the use of artificial...more
11/1/2023
/ Algorithms ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Best Practices ,
Bias ,
Biden Administration ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Executive Orders ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Innovative Technology ,
Machine Learning ,
Regulatory Reform
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
Introduction -
As headlines in The New York Times and other major news media tout increases in the number of employed non-farm workers, a deeper dive reflects that the labor force participation rate in June was 62.6% for...more
As Illinois employers and businesses recover in a post-pandemic world, the continued and growing threat of The Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) looms on the horizon. This paper demonstrates that, due to the...more
Executive Summary -
Widespread economic uncertainty. Evolving workforce expectations. Accelerating use of artificial intelligence (AI). A shifting patchwork of local, state and federal regulations.
Numerous headwinds...more
5/10/2023
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Labor Law Violations ,
Leave of Absence ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Remote Working ,
State Labor Laws ,
Telecommuting ,
Wage and Hour
On January 4, 2023, the Biden administration released its long-awaited Fall 2022 Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions. Typically, these semi-annual agendas are issued in the spring and fall and outline...more
1/6/2023
/ Compensation & Benefits ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
EBSA ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Joint Employers ,
Labor Reform ,
NLRB ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Wage and Hour
Over the weekend, Senate Democrats defied midterm election historical trends and maintained control of their narrow majority in the Senate. In Nevada, Democratic Senator Catherine Cortez Masto narrowly defeated Republican...more
11/16/2022
/ Biden Administration ,
Employee Rights ,
Employees ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Independent Contractors ,
Joint Employers ,
Labor Reform ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Union Elections ,
Wage and Hour
I. The State of the U.S. Workforce -
In the early months of the pandemic, jobs declined by a staggering 22.2 million. The good news is that jobs recovery has been on the rise since February 2020. In July, the number of...more
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
The centerpiece of the Biden administration’s labor and jobs agenda is an increase in the federal hourly minimum wage to $15 an hour. Last year President Biden, via executive power, instituted a $15 minimum wage for federal...more