Friday, July 3, 2026Labor & Employment Law
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52 articles on ELINFONET
Virginia
On May 14, 2026, Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger vetoed Senate Bill (SB) No. 378 / House Bill (HB) No. 1263, legislation that would have extended collective bargaining rights to the Commonwealth’s approximately 500,000 public employees.
HR - Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI)
The U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts recently blocked the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) efforts to withhold funding from states and grant recipients that have not confirmed their compliance with Trump administration policies on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), “gender ideology,” women’s and girls’ sports, and immigration.
Sex Discrimination - Title IX
On June 30, 2026, the Supreme Court of the United States held that state laws that restrict interscholastic and intercollegiate athletic participation based on biological sex—and that effectively ban transgender women and transgender girls from participating in women’s and girls’ sports—do not violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment or Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.
Multinational Employers
The summer months are just around the corner—and with them comes a multitude of temporary employment arrangements. Whether working students, interns, or summer workers: for employers, hiring these groups is often economically attractive but also carries certain employment law risks that are frequently underestimated in practice. The following article provides an overview of the most important pitfalls and highlights key considerations for employers in Germany.
ADA - Reasonable Accommodation
On June 26, 2026, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit ruled that a Pennsylvania university did not discriminate against a secretary based on an alleged disability when it denied her request to work remotely as a disability accommodation because the secretary’s position had several in-person job responsibilities.
OSHA - Mining
The Mine Safety and Health Administration’s (MSHA) surface mobile equipment rule became effective in January 2024, with a July 2024 compliance deadline. Because enforcement has been ongoing for about two years, it’s worth reviewing the data for metal/nonmetal mines and considering trends in enforcement. Perhaps the best place to start is by considering 30 C.F.R. § 56.23002(a), the provision requiring metal/nonmetal operators to implement a written safety program.
Maryland
On June 22, 2026, the Maryland Commission on Civil Rights (MCCR) published its Elements of Proof Guidance , a comprehensive document setting forth the elements of proof that the MCCR applies for claims of employment discrimination, as well as other forms of discrimination, such as in housing and public accommodations, under Maryland State Government Article, Title 20.
Title VII - General
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) guidelines regarding disparate impact liability under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 are inconsistent with the statute and raise serious constitutional concerns, the U.S. Department of Justice said in an opinion letter issued on June 9, 2026.
Immigration - General
On June 30, 2026, the Supreme Court of the United States struck down President Donald Trump’s Executive Order 14160 in Trump v. Barbara, No. 25-365 , reaffirming that the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution grants automatic birthright citizenship to virtually all children born on United States soil, regardless of their parents’ immigration status.
HR - Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Manufacturers across the country are deploying new technologies, including AI-enabled dashcams and surveillance cameras, productivity monitoring tools, and other automated decision-making technologies, to improve safety, production efficiency, and workforce management. These tools offer real operational benefits. They also create overlapping legal obligations that many manufacturers have not yet addressed.
Rhode Island
Rhode Island lawmakers recently wrapped up a productive 2026 legislative session after approving several bills impacting employers—from legislation establishing warehouse worker protections to enactments expanding the state’s worker protection law to include domestic workers—and failing to advance noteworthy proposals that would have regulated employers’ use of artificial intelligence (AI) and electronic monitoring and prohibited workplace bullying. Here is a summary of the notable bills.
Immigration - General
On June 25, 2026, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) may proceed with terminating the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designations for Haiti and Syria, holding that federal courts may not review most challenges to how those decisions are made.
Colorado - General
On June 15, 2026, the Colorado Supreme Court held that employees may bring wrongful termination claims if they are discharged for actions lawfully taken in self-defense—even if their employers’ policies prohibit confrontations—because the right to self-defense “is not left at the door simply because a person enters the workplace.”
Immigration - General
On June 23, 2026, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) that would noticeably increase the fees U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) charges for naturalization applications.
New York - Labor Law
On June 22, 2026, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani signed Executive Order No. 17 , “Protecting Workers From Extreme Heat,” directing a range of city agencies to develop heat illness prevention guidance, study heat-related health data, and strengthen protections for workers exposed to extreme heat. The order took effect immediately.
California - Cal/OSHA
On June 24, 2026, the California Senate Committee on Labor, Public Employment, and Retirement met and voted to pass Assembly Bill (AB) No. 2321 , a measure that would change case review procedures for the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) and its Bureau of Investigations (BOI) and create a five-year pilot program transferring investigative responsibilities from the BOI to the district attorneys of Alameda and Santa Clara counties. AB 2321 previously passed the Cal…
Federal Gov't - EEOC
In this installment of our Workplace Strategies Watercooler 2026 podcast series, shareholders Jim Paul (St. Louis/Tampa), Aimee Parsons (Portland (ME)), and Carolyn Russell (Houston) break down the EEOC’s shifting enforcement priorities under Chair Andrea Lucas, including the rescission of the 2024 harassment guidance and the agency’s stance on unlawful DEI. The speakers also examine the […]
Multinational Employers
Multinational employers operating in Mexico often rely on global policies to set workplace expectations across their operations. While this approach promotes consistency, it can also create enforceability risks.
HR - Discipline & Discharge
In today’s increasingly digital world, employers are faced with a number of legal considerations to weigh before they discharge or discipline an employee for having outside employment.
Federal Gov't - General
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