Earlier this month, a federal district court in North Carolina rejected Charlotte Catholic High School’s religious defenses against a Title VII claim of sex discrimination allegedly based on an employee’s sexual orientation.
Archives for September 22, 2021
Amazon workers fired for cannabis use can reapply for jobs
Amazon’s looser stance on workers’ marijuana use now covers people who were previously dismissed.
Workers are often told not to talk about how much they’re getting paid. That’s not legal.
Under federal law, keeping employees from discussing pay with coworkers is an unfair labor practice. Yet workers, advocates, and labor experts say such “pay gag” infractions are widespread, with awareness of the law at a minimum.
‘We’re trying to survive’: workers face cuts as US public sector lags in recovery
Working in US public sector feels untenable for many amid lack of benefits, low pay and lack of general investment
Cal/OSHA Issues Initial Draft Language for Proposed Permanent COVID-19 Regulations
On September 17, 2021, the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) released for discussion initial draft text for proposed permanent COVID-19 regulations, which if adopted would be subject to renewal or expiration after two years, and would replace the current Emergency Temporary Standards (ETS). Stakeholders will have
How to Keep Good People Through the Great Resignation
Court Showdowns Await Labor Board GC's Legal Agenda
Michael Lotito weighs in on a few NLRB doctrines that would ease union recognition in some contested campaigns and raise the stakes in refusal-to-bargain cases if they are adopted.
Law360 Employment Authority
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Can't it be about Cannabis? Connecticut Seeds the Path to Unionization
Connecticut recently legalized recreational marijuana use by adults. The new law creates complex employment protections for recreational marijuana users. The same legislation also includes provisions that strongly encourage any cannabis-related employer seeking to operate in Connecticut to permit the unionization of its workforce.1
OSHA Announces Increased Focus on Heat-Related Hazards
In recent weeks, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has signaled efforts to increase its scrutiny of work activities that may expose workers to heat-related hazards. On September 1, 2021, OSHA issued a Memorandum to its Regional Administrators and State Designees to announce a
What’s Next with Cal/OSHA and COVID-19 Standards?
For now, California employers are beholden to state and local COVID-19 requirements as well as Cal/OSHA’s infamous COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standards (ETS). The ETS are set to expire on January 14, 2022. However, Cal/OSHA has recently released a draft of a semi-permanent standard for COVID-19.
The current proposal would create
The mandatory green pass arrives in the workplace: this is how it works in the rest of the EU
Congressional Democrats Want to Weaponize Federal Labor Law
Michael Lotito writes about unions and their allies’ attempts to sneak parts of the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act into the budget bill.
The Wall Street Journal
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Workplace Words of Wisdom from Ted Lasso
They got me. I resisted as long as I could. Over the past year, numerous friends told me I should be watching Ted Lasso, extolling the virtues of this new show airing on Apple TV+. I wasn’t interested. Frankly, I’m not big into soccer (sorry to all the soccer fans
Puerto Rico Governor Signs Law Raising Minimum Wage to $8.50 Per Hour Starting in 2022
On September 21, 2021, Puerto Rico Governor Pedro Pierluisi signed into law an Act that raises the hourly minimum wage from $7.25 to $8.50. Prior to this increase, the minimum wage in Puerto Rico had not been modified since 2009. The Act and its new base pay will enter
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