HR Law 101 Ep. 9: How Does USERRA Apply To Your Company?
On August 22, 2024, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued its decision in Synoracki v. Alaska Airlines, Inc., reviving a class action under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act...more
USERRA prohibits an employer from discriminating against an employee because of their past or current military service. Specifically, USERRA prohibits an employer from denying service members initial employment, reemployment,...more
The landscape of federal military leave law may be shifting. In the past three years, four federal appellate courts have held that an employer may be required to offer paid leave for an employee’s military service where the...more
When people think of a “protected class,” they often think of age, race, gender, or disability. While those are some of the classes protected by anti-discrimination laws, often-overlooked classes include honorably discharged...more
This Littler Lightbulb highlights some of the more significant employment law developments at the U.S. Supreme Court and federal courts of appeal in the last month. At the Supreme Court...more
On June 8, 2023, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit held in Myrick v. City of Hoover, Alabama that military leave is comparable to paid administrative leave under the Uniformed Services Employment and...more
Most employers are well aware that the Uniform Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, (“USERRA”) requires businesses to grant protected leave to employees called to active duty or engaged in reserve training. ...more
On February 19, 2023, the City of San Francisco’s new ordinance, the Military Leave Pay Protection Act (“MLPPA”), went into effect, which requires private San Francisco employers who have at least 100 employees worldwide, to...more
The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) applies to all private employers in the U.S., regardless of size, and requires them to provide unpaid leave for up to five years for certain absences...more
Do you have to pay an employee on military leave? Generally, you only have to pay for military leave if you pay employees on “comparable” leaves. So what is a comparable leave? In Clarkson v. Alaska Airlines, Inc., the Ninth...more
Thanks to a recent ruling by the federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals (which covers California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Nevada and Arizona), Alaska Airlines now faces a jury trial in a class action claim that it...more
On Feb. 1, 2023, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit held that employers who provide paid short-term leave for some reasons — such as for sickness, bereavement or jury duty — must also pay employees who take...more
On January 20, 2023, San Francisco became the first jurisdiction in the nation to require private employers to provide differential pay to employees who are called to active military. Addressing disparities between public and...more
On January 20, 2023, San Francisco Mayor London Breed approved a city ordinance that will require large, private employers to provide differential paid leave for military reservists called up to active duty. The “Military...more
Since the Seventh Circuit rendered its 2021 groundbreaking decision in White v. United Airlines, Inc., et al.—becoming the first federal appellate court to hold that employers may need to pay employees who take leave pursuant...more
Employers may be surprised to learn that certain employees with greater than five years of military leave may still have reemployment rights under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994...more
The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) contains some of the most expansive employee rights provisions under federal law, requiring employers not only to reinstate service members to their...more
With his retirement to begin on June 30 at noon, Justice Breyer leads a 5-4 split in Torres v. Texas Department of Public Safety, with the Chief Justice and Justice Kavanaugh, along with Justices Sotomayor and Kagan, joining...more
In the wake of the recent Ukraine invasion, more U.S. troops are being deployed to Europe to support NATO countries. Among these are members of the National Reserve and National Guard, who typically maintain civilian jobs...more
In February of 2021, we published an Alert on the Seventh Circuit’s groundbreaking decision in White v. United Airlines, Inc., et al., in which it became the first federal appellate court to address the issue of pay for...more
Most employers know that under federal law they have to provide job protected, unpaid military leave to their employees. There are, of course, various requirements and standards, but assuming those are met, employees may take...more
“Those who serve in the military must also balance civilian life, including time away from a civilian job.” On August 19, 2021, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit issued a decision interpreting the Uniformed...more
The Third Circuit Court of Appeals recently held that the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA) entitles employees to paid short-term military leave in certain circumstances, following the...more
Since 1940, the United States has provided some form of job protection to civilian employees who also serve their country as members of the military. Most recently, in 1994, Congress enacted the Uniformed Services...more
The Uniformed Services Employee and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) provides employees with a variety of leave entitlements for absences related to military service. The law does not explicitly require paying employees out...more