New Orleans has revived its mask mandate for indoor spaces, effective January 12, 2022. Citing increased COVID-19 infection and hospitalization rates, Mayor Latoya Cantrell has ordered that all individuals over the age of two who do not have breathing complications must wear masks “when in indoor spaces outside the household,
Articles Discussing General Topics In Louisiana Labor & Employment Law.
Louisiana Employers May Be Able to Discharge Unvaccinated Workers Under Employment-at-Will Doctrine
In a pair of related rulings in Hayes v. University Health Shreveport, LLC, and Nelson v. Ochsner Lafayette General, the Supreme Court of Louisiana held on January 7, 2022, that private Louisiana employers may mandate COVID-19 vaccines for their employees.
Louisiana Federal Court Follows Other Federal Courts Enjoining Vaccine Mandates for Government Contractors
On November 4, 2021, three states, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Indiana, filed suit against the federal government seeking to invalidate President Biden’s September 9, 2021, executive order requiring government contractors to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by January 18, 2022. On December 15, 2021, Judge Drell of the Western District of Louisiana granted the plaintiffs’ motion for preliminary injunction, stopping the vaccine mandate from going into effect in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Indiana. This Louisiana federal court order follows similar orders previously issued by federal courts in Georgia and Kentucky.
Louisiana Workforce Commission Publishes Posters on Expanded Employee Pregnancy Accommodation Rights
Effective August 1, 2021, the Louisiana Employment Discrimination Law was amended to expressly require Louisiana employers with more than 25 employees to provide reasonable accommodations to employees with limitations arising from pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions, provided that such limitations are known to the employers.
Louisiana and New Orleans Lift Their Mask Mandates, Except for Students Subject to Opt-Out Procedures
Mask mandates, with certain exceptions, are ending in Louisiana. This week, Louisiana’s governor lifted the statewide mandate, which allowed cities to impose their own mandates. New Orleans’ mandate, which has been in effect since July 2021, is also now ending.
Louisiana and Orleans Lift Their Mask Mandates, Except for Students Subject to Opt-Out Procedures
Mask mandates, with certain exceptions, are ending in Louisiana. This week, Louisiana’s governor lifted the statewide mandate, which allowed cities to impose their own mandates. New Orleans’ mandate, which has been in effect since July 2021, is also now ending.
Louisiana Expands Liability for Perpetrators of Sexual Assault in the Workplace
On June 10, 2021, the Louisiana State Legislature passed House Bill (HB) No. 379, a measure that provides for civil liability for injuries caused to individuals who have experienced sexual assault in the workplace, as defined by criminal statutes.
Kogos, Spell, Glaser, and Pritt Published in Chambers USA “US Regional Employment 2021: Louisiana” Global Practice Guide
Labor and employment partners Jennifer Kogos and Maggie Spell, Alex Glaser, a partner in the Tax Practice Group, and Jacob Pritt, an associate in the Labor & Employment Practice Group recently authored the section, “US Regional Employment 2021: Louisiana” in the USA Chambers and Partners Global Practice Guide.
Power Restored in Louisiana Following Hurricane Ida: Now What?
Weeks after Hurricane Ida tore through the region, damaging thousands of businesses and flattening the power grid, the power was mostly restored in New Orleans by September 10, but countless businesses throughout southeast Louisiana are still without power.
LDEQ’s Hurricane Ida Emergency Declarations: What Do They Cover?
On August 27, 2021, with Hurricane Ida’s impact on South Louisiana imminent, the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) issued a statewide Declaration of Emergency. The Declaration provided guidance on a number of expected impacts of the storm, including “upset” of Louisiana Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits by wastewater treatment
New Orleans to Require Proof of Vaccination or Negative COVID-19 Test to Enter Indoor Facilities
On August 12, 2021, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell and the City of New Orleans Health Department announced updated Guidelines for COVID-19 Reopening, which require individuals to provide proof of “having received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine” or “evidence of a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken no
Louisiana State Court Denies Injunction to Restore $300-Per-Week Unemployment Benefit
On August 1, 2021, Louisiana stopped paying the $300 weekly supplemental unemployment benefit payment provided by federal law. Prior to the elimination of the benefit, six Louisiana residents sued the Louisiana Workforce Commission and Governor John Bel Edwards to compel the restoration of the $300 weekly benefit payment.
Louisiana Enacts Law Impacting Employer Consideration of Applicant Criminal Histories
On June 9, 2021, the Louisiana State Legislature passed House Bill (HB) No. 707, a measure that prohibits discrimination in employment based on criminal history records and that provides criteria for employers making hiring decisions in conjunction with criminal history records. This development will likely be good news for formerly
Louisiana Enacts New Pregnancy Accommodation Law
Starting this month, Louisiana employers with 25 or more employees are required to accommodate pregnant employees and applicants in ways not required under federal law or previous state law.
Louisiana Governor Reinstates Statewide Mask Mandate Effective August 4, 2021, Following New Orleans Mask Mandate
On August 2, 2021, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards issued Proclamation Number 137 JBE 2021, reinstating a statewide mask mandate that requires all individuals, regardless of vaccination status, to wear masks “when indoors, in any place outside of a private residence.”
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