Justice Stephen Breyer officially retired from active service on the U.S. Supreme Court as of noon on June 30, 2022.
Archives for July 5, 2022
Illinois CROWN Act Expands Human Rights Law to Ban Race-Related Hair Discrimination
Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker has signed into law the “Create a Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural Hair” Act, or CROWN Act, which prohibits hair discrimination.
App-Based Companies Must ‘Pay Up’ in Seattle
Shortly after the Washington State legislature approved legislation that sets minimum wage and other benefits for gig drivers of rideshare companies, the City of Seattle passed the first of a series of bills that ask app-based companies for all gig type workers to “Pay Up.”
Construction Industry Workplace Law Update – Summer 2022
In an industry often targeted by anti-discrimination agencies, construction industry employers need to be aware of a new law that makes it more difficult to enforce existing arbitration agreements for sexual assault and sexual harassment claims that arise after March 3, 2022.
Retail Industry Workplace Law Update – Summer 2022
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has a new enforcement initiative that will target one of the agency’s top priorities: indoor and outdoor heat-related workplace hazards.
U.S. Supreme Court Declines to Hear Challenge to California’s Independent Contractor Law
In a brief one-line order, the U.S. Supreme Court denied the California Trucking Association’s petition to review a lower court ruling holding that federal law does not preempt California’s independent contractor law. The ruling means those in the transportation/logistics industry will now need to operate in a regime where their transportation drivers could be seen as employees under California’s independent contractor law.
A Remote Work Policy That Ensures Employees Do Not Hop From Place to Place
Many workplaces allow employees to work from home. However, often in those situations, the employer really does not know from where the employee is working. Recently, one of our firm’s small business clients, based in an employer-friendly state in the south, had an employee move to California without the company knowing. Neither management nor HR was aware that it had a California employee. This ended up causing some material issues when it came to daily overtime, taxes, and other issues.
No Paper Trail: How Companies Are Delivering Abortion-Related Benefits
Companies’ new benefits for travel expenses around pregnancy terminations are creating concerns over legal and privacy risks, but their human resource departments are finding workarounds.
Sad, Mad, Anxious? How to Work Through Your ‘Big Feelings’
Tips for managing emotions and staying focused even when the news is terrible.
How to Recover from Work Stress, According to Science
Five research-backed strategies that actually work.
Making The Workplace Exciting Again
After reinventing their workplaces and employee experiences quickly in the wake of the global pandemic, many businesses are struggling to reestablish their corporate cultures and get people excited about their work.
Breastfeeding Access Is a Workplace Issue
Some workers are re-creating home environments in the office; others decided not to return
Jannet Ponder is back in the office, like so many other American workers. She brought plants with her to give her cubicle more tranquility, along with family photos and other personal, decorative items.
US DEPARTMENT OF LABOR INVESTIGATION RECOVERS $124K FOR 40 WORKERS OF HAMPTON BEACH CLOTHING RETAILER, ASSESSES $18K IN PENALTIES
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division has recovered $123,750 in back wages and liquidated damages for 40 workers of a Hampton Beach clothing retailer after finding the employer paid some employees cash off the books and paid straight time for overtime for hours over 40 in a workweek.
California Alters Close Contact and Infectious Period Definitions Under COVID rules
Krystal Weaver, Alka Ramchandani-Raj, Eric Compere, Melissa Peters and Dave Dixon explain a California Department of Public Health issued order that defines close contact and infectious periods under the state’s COVID rules.
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