The past year has brought sweeping changes to the world of work. Federal agencies finalized rules on minimum wage and overtime exemptions, union representation elections, pregnancy accommodations, OSHA inspections, and...more
A new General Labor Law (NGLL) was enacted by Law No. 12/23, of 27 December 2023, which came into force on March 26, 2024.The NGLL repealed the former General Labor Law (approved by Law No. 7/15, of June 15, 2015),...more
On April 29, 2024, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) released a long-anticipated update to its enforcement guidance on harassment in the workplace. The update comes almost 25 years after EEOC last...more
The U.S. Department of Labor released a final rule on April 23, 2024, raising the salary threshold to qualify for certain overtime exemptions under federal law. Most importantly, it significantly raises the minimum salary...more
4/24/2024
/ Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Exempt-Employees ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Final Rules ,
Highly Compensated Employees ,
Labor Reform ,
Minimum Salary ,
Non-Exempt Employees ,
Over-Time ,
Salaried Employees ,
Unpaid Overtime ,
Wage and Hour ,
White-Collar Exemptions
On April 23, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) by a vote of 3-2 approved and issued its final rule that effectively bans employers’ use of all non-compete agreements (with very limited exceptions). The final rule is...more
4/24/2024
/ Competition ,
Confidential Information ,
Contract Terms ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Labor Reform ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
Trade Secrets
On March 8, 2024, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas struck down regulations promulgated by the National Labor Relations Board (the “NLRB” or “Board”) defining joint employment (the “new Rule” or “2023...more
3/11/2024
/ Controlling Employer ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Joint Employers ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
Unfair Labor Practices ,
Unions ,
Vacated
Under the Fair Work Legislation Amendment (known as the Closing Loopholes Act), as of January 1, 2025, intentional underpayment of employees’ wages and certain benefits will be a criminal offense, with a maximum of 10 years’...more
The U.S. Department of Labor published a final rule on January 9, 2024, defining “independent contractor” under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The final regulation rescinds a 2021 rule defining the same term. In place...more
1/9/2024
/ Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Economic Realities Test ,
Employee Definition ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Final Rules ,
Freelance Workers ,
Gig Economy ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Independent Contractors ,
Labor Reform ,
Misclassification ,
Wage and Hour
The Massachusetts Department of Family and Medical Leave (DFML) is ringing in the new year with new, more employer-friendly guidance regarding an employee’s ability to use paid leave to “top up” Paid Family and Medical Leave...more
On October 26, 2023, the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB” or “the Board”) released a final rule setting forth the standard for joint-employer status under the National Labor Relations Act (“NLRA” or “the Act”). The rule...more
On August 30, 2023, the Wage and Hour Division of the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to revise the “white collar” overtime exemption regulations applicable to executive,...more
8/31/2023
/ Corporate Counsel ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Exempt-Employees ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Highly Compensated Employees ,
Labor Reform ,
Minimum Salary ,
Non-Exempt Employees ,
Over-Time ,
Wage and Hour ,
White-Collar Exemptions
In its June 29, 2023, unanimous decision in Groff v. DeJoy, the United States Supreme Court upended nearly 50 years of precedent by “clarifying” the undue hardship standard in religious accommodation claims under Title VII of...more
On June 14, 2023, the European Parliament voted to approve the first draft of the new AI Act, the world’s first comprehensive law regulating artificial intelligence (“AI”). Although the law has not yet been passed and may be...more
6/22/2023
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
EU ,
Innovative Technology ,
International Labor Laws ,
Labor Reform ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Machine Learning ,
Non-Discrimination Rules ,
Pending Legislation ,
Regulatory Agenda
On June 13, 2023, the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB” or “the Board”) issued its long-awaited decision in The Atlanta Opera, in which it overturned prior law (SuperShuttle DFW, Inc.) and reinstated a narrower test for...more
On May 18, 2023, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC or “the Commission”), the federal agency charged with administering federal civil rights laws (including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Americans...more
5/18/2023
/ Adverse Employment Action ,
Algorithms ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Disparate Impact ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Job Applicants ,
Machine Learning
I. Introduction -
A. Artificial Intelligence Arrives in Everyday Life – The Release of ChatGPT -
Generative AI, which is a type of artificial intelligence that can produce or create new content, has already started to...more
In the wake of its recently issued rules regarding New York City Local Law 144 (“Local Law 144”), the New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) will be holding an educational roundtable on May 22,...more
4/28/2023
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Business Roundtable ,
City of New York ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Innovative Technology ,
Labor Reform ,
Machine Learning ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
State Labor Laws
On April 18, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral argument in Groff v. DeJoy, a case raising the issue of how great a burden an employer must bear in order to accommodate an employee’s religious belief or practices....more
4/19/2023
/ Adverse Employment Action ,
Civil Rights Act ,
Corporate Counsel ,
De Minimus Doctrine ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Groff v DeJoy ,
Job Duties ,
Labor Law Violations ,
Oral Argument ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Religious Accommodation ,
Religious Discrimination ,
SCOTUS ,
Title VII ,
USPS ,
Wage and Hour
After several rounds of public comment and revision, on April 5, 2023 New York City published final regulations implementing its first-in-the-nation ordinance that regulates the use of AI-driven hiring tools (Local Law 144 of...more
4/14/2023
/ Adverse Employment Action ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Bias ,
City of New York ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Final Rules ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Job Applicants ,
Labor Reform ,
Labor Regulations ,
Machine Learning ,
Regulatory Agenda
With one day left to spare before the deadline to introduce new bills, on February 16, 2023, California Assemblymember Chris Holden (D-41) introduced Assembly Bill 1228, the “Fast Food Franchisor Responsibility Act.” This...more
2/22/2023
/ California ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Fast-Food Industry ,
Franchisee ,
Franchisors ,
Joint Employers ,
Labor Reform ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Restaurant Industry ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
On December 13, 2022, the National Labor Relations Board (“Board”) made another move to expand relief available to workers who allege unfair labor practices by their employers. Historically, employees seeking relief under the...more
Amidst the flurry of activity taking place before the end of the 117th U.S. Congress, the House of Representatives quietly passed the Speak Out Act on November 16, 2022, by an overwhelming majority. The bill previously...more
12/13/2022
/ #MeToo ,
Anti-Harassment Policies ,
Biden Administration ,
Complaint Procedures ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Labor Reform ,
New Legislation ,
Non-Disclosure Agreement ,
Non-Disparagement Provisions ,
Sexual Assault ,
Sexual Harassment ,
Unenforceable Contract Terms
New York City is deferring enforcement of its first-in-the-nation regulation of the use of AI-driven hiring tools (Local Law 144 of 2021), which was initially slated to go into effect on January 1, 2023. This past Friday...more
Technology has revolutionized the workplace and has bolstered business operations and efficiency. Employers are increasingly using automated management systems and other electronic means to ensure that their workplaces are...more
11/4/2022
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Automation Systems ,
Employee Monitoring ,
Employee Privacy Rights ,
Employee Rights ,
Employee Tracking ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
NLRB General Counsel ,
Remote Working ,
Statutory Violations ,
Surveillance
It is old news to most covered employers that they are obligated to post certain notices for their workforce. What these employers may not know, however, is that the EEOC recently updated and replaced its “EEO is the Law”...more