Work This Way: A Labor & Employment Law Podcast - Episode 25: Issues for Public Employers with Bertha Enriquez of Renewable Water Resources
[WEBINAR] Labor & Employment Law: What Changed in 2017
Above-the-line federal income tax deduction for qualified OT compensation. Effective 2025-2028, up to $12,500 ($25,000 if joint return) w/ phase-out....more
Unlike private sector workers, government employees enjoy certain constitutional protections while at work, including free speech rights under the First Amendment. The extent of those rights has been the subject of countless...more
Key Highlights - The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a lawsuit against the State of Minnesota challenging its affirmative action hiring program....more
On Dec. 3, 2025, Florida state Rep. Rachel Saunders Plakon (R-36) and Rep. Kim Kendall (R-18) introduced the “Freedom of Conscience in the Workplace Act” (HB 641). If enacted, the Act would prohibit Florida public employers...more
Employers are likely familiar with the administrative deadlines associated with discrimination claims. Depending on the nature of the claims and where they arise, employees generally have either 180 or 300 days to submit a...more
Real World Impact: Florida’s First District Court of Appeals recently held that Florida’s ban on openly carrying firearms is unconstitutional. Florida’s Attorney General has issued guidance stating that the decision...more
A recent decision from the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit confirms public employers can consider certain employee speech on social media in making personnel decisions. ...more
On September 8, 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit issued a highly anticipated decision in Jorjani v. New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), holding that the public university’s non-renewal of a...more
“I’m speaking my mind because I have a right to free speech.” We’ve all heard that haven’t we? In the words of Lee Corso: “Not so fast, my friend.” The First Amendment gives protection from governmental action. So, in most...more
On September 9, 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, sitting en banc, ruled that a county health insurance plan’s exclusion denying coverage for gender-affirming surgery did not violate Title VII of the...more
The following is a brief description of acts that were passed during the 2025 Session of the Connecticut General Assembly that may be of interest to Connecticut school leaders. ...more
One topic that frequently arises is whether a qualified governmental plan, under Internal Revenue Code (Code) Section 401(a), may allow an employee the election on whether to contribute at different pretax employee...more
Deivert v. Zartman and Borough of Northumberland, 2025 WL 83747 (M.D.Pa. 2025) - (Neither a municipality nor a municipal manager had immunity under the Pennsylvania Political Subdivision Tort Claims Act (“PPSTCA”) for the...more
A public-school teacher wears a MAGA hat at a training session on cultural sensitivity (Dodge v. Evergreen School District #114, 56 F.4th 767 (9th Cir. 2022)), an actress in a mega-million-dollar film posts controversial...more
Following the inauguration, President Trump issued a series of Executive Orders addressing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion ("DEI") and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility ("DEIA") in employment that impact federal...more
On February 10, 2025, New York Assembly Bill (A) No. 4936 was introduced, which proposes a significant amendment to Section 27-b of the Labor Law. Section 27-b of the Labor Law requires public employers with at least twenty...more
Date Issued: Jan. 20, 2025 This executive order freezes the hiring of federal civilian employees in the executive branch. Any federal civilian position that is vacant at noon on Jan. 20, 2025, may not be filled, and no...more
Date Issued: Jan. 20, 2025 This executive order eliminates any and all "Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion" programs throughout the federal government. The termination includes "Chief Diversity Officers," "Equity Action...more
Administrators of governmental plans and church plans that are not subject to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) should review the following actions to be taken before the end of 2024 and address what...more
If you are a state or local government that sponsors a “self-funded” employee group health plan instead of using an insurance provider, you had previously been allowed to “opt out” of compliance with the following four...more
A much-used but often confusing element of governmental retirement plans are “pick up plans,” where an employer pays -- or “picks up” -- an employee’s required contribution under the State’s public employment retirement...more
Recently, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit addressed whether staff nurses for the City and County of San Francisco (the City) were entitled to time-and-a-half overtime or whether the method of...more
On Sept. 4, 2024, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed legislation requiring public employers to notify employees if their disciplinary records are requested as part of a Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) request. This legislation...more
The California Supreme Court just ruled that public employers are not subject to civil penalties under the state’s Private Attorneys General Act of 2004 (PAGA). In a pivotal decision, the court held that public entities,...more
Per recent updates to various sections of Ohio law, all employees and elected officials of public entities in Ohio are required to report alleged fraud, theft in office, or misuse or misappropriation of public money....more