Ten questions to guide your approach.
Archives for March 24, 2021
Immigration Policies Can Focus on Geographical Areas of Declining Population
Over 40 percent of counties in the United States are experiencing population declines, and the country is experiencing a decline in the working-age population. Together, these demographics, some say, may signal an eventual slowdown of the economy. How to reverse the trend? Immigrants moving to targeted areas could help stem
Non-Discrimination Protections Are Hugely Popular — Yet Far From Law
If you watched last week’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing about an anti-discrimination bill to protect the rights of LGBTQ Americans, you’d have come away thinking the series of safeguards being discussed were deeply divisive and threatening to the lawmakers’ constituents, and especially young women who play sports.
Biden Administration Abandons Trump-Era Public Charge Rule
On March 9, 2021, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that the Biden administration would no longer enforce the 2019 public charge rule implemented by the Trump administration.
Bill intended to protect older workers from discrimination re-introduced in Congress
A bipartisan group of senators re-introduced a measure Monday aimed at making it easier for older Americans to bring work-related age discrimination cases against their employers.
Today Is Equal Pay Day. Here’s What You Need To Know About The Equal Pay Act
Equal Pay Day is the date (March 24) that symbolizes how far into the year women must work to earn what men earned in 2020.
Justice Department Settles Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Against Cumberland County, Tennessee for $1.1 Million
The Justice Department announced today that it has reached a settlement with Cumberland County, Tennessee, to resolve allegations that the county discriminated against ten female employees because of their sex in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Federal District Court Highlights the Risk of Inaccurate and Inconsistent Communications Regarding Leaves of Absence
In Knaup v. Molina Healthcare of Ohio, Inc., (No. 2:19-cv-166) the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio addressed whether an employee had received an extension of time for submitting medical certification in support of her Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) request and whether the employer
DOL Proposes Withdrawal of the Business-friendly FLSA “Joint Employer” Final Rule
On March 11, 2021, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to withdraw the Joint Employer Final Rule under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which was published during the previous administration and was arguably more business-friendly. The withdrawal indicates DOL will likely propose an alternative that returns to a broader and more extensive interpretation of the joint employer rule that may ultimately impact the determination of who is liable for FLSA wage and hour obligations.
Answers to FAQS about the American Rescue Plan Act
President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) into law last week, and our phones have not stopped ringing! Below are responses to our clients’ most frequently asked questions about the new law.
New COVID-19 Supplemental Sick Leave Poster and FAQs
The American Rescue Plan Act Includes Required COBRA Subsidy
On March 11, 2021, President Biden signed into law the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The law contains various provisions that impact employers, including a new COBRA subsidy.
The ARPA COBRA Subsidy
Costa Mesa, California, Enacts Premium Pay Ordinance for Retail Grocery and Pharmacy Workers
On March 16, 2021, the City Council of Costa Mesa, California, passed an urgency ordinance establishing premium pay for retail grocery and pharmacy workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Costa Mesa is a large city in Orange County located southeast of Los Angeles. The ordinance requires that large retail establishments that
A Few Out-of-State Telephone Calls Per Week May Be Sufficient to Establish FLSA Coverage, 11th Circuit Holds
An administrative assistant, who regularly made three to five telephone calls out of state per week to her employer’s clients and vendors, may have sufficiently engaged in interstate commerce to establish “individual coverage” under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit concluded.
Two New Connecticut Bills Aim to Prohibit Physician Non-Competition Agreements
Connecticut lawmakers recently introduced two bills that seek to ban non-competition agreements for physicians. If implemented, this would be the second time in five years that Connecticut has legislated in the area of physician restrictive covenants.
In mid-2016, Connecticut enacted legislation that implemented a maximum one-year temporal limitation on