#WorkforceWednesday: SCOTUS in Review, Biden Acts to Limit Non-Competes, NY HERO Act Model Safety Plans - Employment Law This Week®
#WorkforceWednesday: Mandatory Vaccination, Tipped Worker Rule, and SCOTUS Rules Against Organized Labor - Employment Law This Week®
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division recently announced a suspension in enforcing the 2024 rule from the Biden Administration that is designed to enhance protections for H-2A workers....more
Managing a farm workforce can be a heavy lift. Agricultural employers must keep up with farm labor laws and workplace regulations that seem to constantly change, so we created this zero-waste resource for ag professionals and...more
The U.S. Department of Labor just quietly launched one of the most sweeping deregulatory efforts in recent memory, advancing over 60 proposals that could reshape workplace rules across industries. From overtime and minimum...more
Federal officials announced late Friday they were suspending enforcement of what it called “the Biden Administration’s burdensome 2024 farmworker rule,” effective immediately – news that should provide a measure of relief to...more
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has been around for more than 150 years, stressing the importance of American agriculture to a bountiful food production system since Abraham Lincoln first signed it into being in...more
A recent federal jury verdict in Michigan has brought renewed attention to the compliance risks faced by employers that utilize the H-2A visa program, particularly when working with third-party labor contractors. On June 6,...more
A recently passed Washington State House Bill permits agricultural workers to unionize under the supervision of Washington’s Public Employment Relations Commission (PERC). On April 22, 2025, the Governor signed House Bill...more
A federal appeals court will soon decide whether the Department of Labor (DOL) may impose financial penalties on employers for alleged violations of the H-2A temporary visa program. While a lower court rejected a family-owned...more
In 2024, Californian workers faced a tempered legislative and judicial climate following an exciting election cycle from 2024. The California State Legislature and Governor Newsom have adjourned a legislative session that...more
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued a Final Rule for the H-2A and H-2B temporary worker programs that will become effective on Jan. 17, 2025. The Rule is aimed at modernizing the regulations governing the...more
It is a new year, which means new employment laws for employers in the Pacific Northwest. The following is a brief overview of significant new laws and changes for employers with Washington and/or Oregon employees....more
The Labor Commissioner’s office recently published an updated version of its Frequently Asked Questions Page for California Paid Sick Leave. Here are some of the highlights of the updates: Agricultural Employees- The...more
On December 18, 2024, Governor Newsom proclaimed a State of Emergency to streamline and expedite the state’s response to Avian influenza A (H5N1), commonly known as “Bird Flu.” This may give many employers flashbacks to the...more
In the spirit of the season, we are using our annual "12 Days of California Labor and Employment" blog series to address new California laws and their impact on employers. On the twelfth day of the holidays, my labor and...more
Immigration policy, in one form or another, touches virtually every business in the United States. All employers are subject to the requirements of the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act, which established the I-9...more
As the year comes to a close, New Jersey businesses need to be mindful of the yearly increases in state minimum wage rates. The New Jersey Department of Labor announced in a press release that effective January 1, 2025, the...more
On Dec. 16, 2024, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) published the new 2025 H-2A Adverse Effect Wage Rates (AEWRs) for non-range occupations for field and livestock workers to be effective on either Dec. 16, 2024, or Jan. 1,...more
As 2024 comes to a close and we look forward to 2025, we want to highlight recent changes in employment law that may have an impact on Oregon employers. The following provides a summary of events that occurred in 2024 and...more
On November 13, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the release of its interim guidance and additional materials to support the regulatory community in implementing the requirements of the October...more
The California legislature has passed a slew of new workplace safety laws – many of which would change the landscape for California employers. Now that the September 30 deadline for the governor to sign or veto bills has...more
On September 29 and 24, 2024, respectively, California’s governor signed two bills that amend California’s Healthy Workplaces Healthy Families Act (HWHFA), the statewide paid sick leave law. AB 2499 expands who qualifies for...more
Late last month, a federal judge in Georgia blocked the U.S. Department of Labor from enforcing its “Farmworker Protection Rule,” also known as the “Improving Protections for Workers in Temporary Agricultural Employment in...more
As loyal readers of the OSHA Defense Report know, OSHA continues to look for ways to proactively inspect workplaces in industries that the agency believes merit greater attention, including through the development of new...more
As of September 24, 2024, Governor Newsom has signed Senate Bill (SB) 1105, which expands existing paid sick leave provisions to allow agricultural employees to use paid sick leave for additional reasons. These changes take...more
The Department of Labor (DOL) announced its H-2A Transition Plan for updating its Foreign Labor Application Gateway (FLAG) system based on the preliminary injunction (known as the Kansas Order) issued by the U.S. District...more