With Inauguration Day now behind us and a new presidential administration taking control, employers should expect significant changes to many aspects of the federal government’s administrative agenda under a second Donald...more
New York and New York City have recently passed laws expanding benefits for pregnant and postpartum employees. These laws provide for additional paid time off for prenatal care and paid lactation breaks in the workplace....more
On April 17, 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled in Muldrow v. City of St. Louis that plaintiffs bringing discrimination claims under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 on the basis of a job transfer do not...more
On Nov. 17, 2023, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed into law amendments to New York’s General Obligations Law § 5-336 that prohibit the use of certain terms in release agreements. The amendments are principally intended to strengthen...more
Since the U.S. Supreme Court decided in Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College (SFFA) that the undergraduate affirmative action admissions practices of Harvard College and the...more
New York State Labor Law on Protections for Breastfeeding Workers -
As we reported in our prior alert, effective today, June 7, 2023, New York State law will require all employers, public or private and regardless of size,...more
The New York State Department of Labor (DOL) recently released updates to the state’s model sexual harassment prevention materials, including its model sexual harassment policy as well as its model sexual harassment...more
On Dec. 29, 2022, President Joe Biden signed into law an omnibus government spending bill that includes two new pieces of legislation affecting the federal rights of nursing and pregnant employees in the workplace....more
On Sept. 20, 2022, New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced that the city will end a vaccine mandate for private sector employees that has been in effect since Dec. 27, 2021...more
On June 15, the United States Supreme Court ruled that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits employers from discriminating against employees based on sexual orientation and gender identity. ...more
6/24/2020
/ Altitude Express Inc v Zarda ,
Bostock v Clayton County Georgia ,
Civil Rights Act ,
EEOC v RG & GR Harris Funeral Homes ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Gender Identity ,
Hiring & Firing ,
LGBTQ ,
SCOTUS ,
Sex Discrimination ,
Sexual Orientation ,
Sexual Orientation Discrimination ,
Title VII ,
Transgender
The New York budget legislation signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo on April 3 includes notable amendments to the New York Election Law that may look familiar to employers. The 2020 amendments eliminate and modify voting leave...more
As COVID-19 spreads across the United States, it is having a profound impact on employment relationships. With the situation changing daily, employers are making decisions that may impact the health of their employees, their...more
3/17/2020
/ Best Practices ,
Business Continuity Plans ,
Business Interruption ,
Business Travel ,
China ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Crisis Management ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Layoffs ,
Legislative Agendas ,
OSHA ,
Pending Legislation ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Public Health ,
Risk Management ,
Sick Leave ,
Telecommuting ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety
On Nov. 8, 2019, New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo signed into law an amendment to the New York Labor Law, which is effective immediately and prohibits employers from discriminating or retaliating against employees based...more
12/5/2019
/ Anti-Retaliation Provisions ,
Decision-Making Process ,
Employee Handbooks ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Human Rights ,
Labor Law Violations ,
Labor Regulations ,
New Amendments ,
Penalties ,
Private Right of Action ,
Reproductive Discrimination ,
Retaliation ,
State and Local Government ,
State Bans ,
State Labor Laws
The Supreme Court held in Fort Bend County v. Davis that the charge-filing precondition to suit of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is a mandatory claim-processing rule subject to waiver, not a jurisdictional bar to...more
6/13/2019
/ Affirmative Defenses ,
Amended Complaints ,
Appeals ,
Charge-Filing Preconditions ,
Civil Rights Act ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Forfeiture ,
Fort Bend County Texas v Davis ,
Jurisdictional Requirements ,
Mandatory Claim-Processing Rules ,
Reaffirmation ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Religious Discrimination ,
Retaliation ,
Reversal ,
SCOTUS ,
Time-Barred Claims ,
Title VII ,
Waiver Rule ,
Wrongful Termination
On March 7, 2019, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced its proposed rule to update the Fair Labor Standards Act’s (FLSA) overtime exemptions for executive, administrative and professional workers....more
3/22/2019
/ Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Exempt-Employees ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Minimum Salary ,
Non-Exempt Employees ,
Over-Time ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Standard Duties Test ,
Wage and Hour ,
White-Collar Exemptions
New York City’s Temporary Schedule Change Amendment to the Fair Workweek Law (Int. 1399-A) became effective on July 18, 2018. This article summarizes the amendment as well as guidance with respect to the law published last...more
In the current political climate, talking politics has undoubtedly become a national pastime. Over the past several months, political discussions have been infiltrating the workplace, leaving many employers asking whether...more