Employment Law Information Network
All Things Labor and Employment Law
Posted: | Ford Harrison Category: HR - Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI)
Last week, the most recent Blue Origin flight went to space. Unlike past voyages, all passengers were female, including a couple of celebrities. Like with anything these days, some hailed it as progress while others criticized it as a publicity stunt.
What I find interesting as a labor employment attorney
Posted: | Ford Harrison Category: Law Firm News
Posted: | Ford Harrison Category: Labor Law - NLRB
National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) Member Gwynne A. Wilcox is out of a job, again, for the third time in less than four months.
Posted: | Ford Harrison Category: HR - General
Over the past few months, I dove headfirst into another show that had a long, successful run that I completely missed: Modern Family. Modern Family is a comedy about a large extended family living in Los Angeles, California. The extended family consists of the Pritchetts, the Dunphys, and the Pritchett/Tuckers.
Posted: | Ford Harrison Category: Law Firm News
Posted: | Ford Harrison Category: ADA - Essential Functions
The Second Circuit Court of Appeals recently held that absent an undue hardship, an employer must provide a reasonable accommodation to a qualified, disabled employee regardless of whether the employee can perform her essential job functions without an accommodation.
Posted: | Ford Harrison Category: Sex and Gender Discrimination
On January 20, 2025, President Trump enacted Executive Order (EO) 14168, which is titled “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government.” This EO mandates that various agencies, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), revoke “all guidance documents . . . or such parts of such documents that are inconsistent” with the stipulations of EO 14168. The EO identifies the EEOC’s “Enforcement Guidance on Harassment in the Workplace,” dated April 29, 2024, as a document that the administration anticipates will be fully or partially rescinded.
Posted: | Ford Harrison Category: Georgia - General
struck down non-compete provisions that used “in any capacity language”, i.e., a non-compete that prohibited an employee from working for a competitor in any capacity and not limited to the services that the employee performed for his former employer. Recently, in All States AG Parts, LLC v. Herzig (February 2025), the Georgia Court of Appeals followed the pre-GRCA rationale and struck down what it deemed to be an overbroad non-compete.
Posted: | Ford Harrison Category: HR - Education Industry
In light of recent government actions directed at ensuring educational institutions protect their faculty and staff, as well as students, from antisemitism, such employers should ensure they are familiar with their obligations under federal law and that they have policies and practices in place to protect their employees and students.
Posted: | Ford Harrison Category: Sex Discrimination - Equal Pay
With brackets finalized and March Madness well underway, it is probably a safe bet that many of you have the University of South Carolina’s women’s team heading to the NCAA Tournament’s final game. As of this writing, the Gamecocks are heading to the Sweet Sixteen for their 11th straight appearance
Posted: | Ford Harrison Category: Law Firm News
Posted: | Ford Harrison Category: HR - Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI)
On March 17, 2025, in an unprecedented action, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”), under the direction of Acting Chair Andrea R. Lucas, issued 20 extensive letters to large, prominent law firms containing over 100 requests for information and documentation related to their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) practices. This action appears to be a direct response to the March 6, 2025, Executive Order (3/6 EO), which specifically addressed Perkins Coie LLP. Section 4 of the 3/6 EO directed the EEOC Chair to investigate the DEI practices of other major law firms, focusing on potential set-asides or quotas and discriminatory decision-making in areas such as promotions, training, travel, client team assignments, and event participation.
Posted: | Ford Harrison Category: HR - Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI)
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) yesterday issued a joint press release announcing new “technical assistance documents” identifying specific Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) practices that may be “illegal” or “discriminatory” according to the agencies. Although technical assistance documents do not carry the force of law and are non-binding, they offer interpretive guidance and resources regarding application of existing law and a clear signal of agencies’ enforcement policies and priorities.
Posted: | Ford Harrison Category: HR - Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI)
On March 14, 2025, a three-judge panel of the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, issued an order granting the Trump Administration’s motion to stay enforcement of the District Court’s nationwide preliminary injunction on two Executive Orders (EOs) issued by the Trump Administration that target diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs.
Posted: | Ford Harrison Category: Labor Law - NLRB
On March 6, 2025, U.S. District Judge Beryl A. Howell from the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ordered that Gwynn Wilcox be reinstated to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and complete her five-year term, which is set to expire on August 27, 2028.