Dear Littler: The holiday season is upon us, and we’d like to celebrate this year by holding an actual office party like we did in the “before” times. Prior to 2020, we held luncheons in our New Jersey branch office for...more
11/30/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Events ,
Exempt-Employees ,
Holiday Parties ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Vaccinations ,
Vaccine Passports ,
Workplace Safety
On October 18, 2021, in a 55-page opinion, an Oregon federal district court denied a request for a temporary restraining order (TRO) to prevent the Oregon Health Authority’s (OHA) recent orders requiring that educational and...more
10/22/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Essential Workers ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Teachers ,
TRO ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
On September 9, 2021, President Joseph R. Biden released a sweeping new COVID-19 Action Plan, Path Out of the Pandemic. This Plan includes mandates that employees working for large private employers, the federal government,...more
9/10/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Entertainment Venues ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Employees ,
Health and Safety ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Infectious Diseases ,
OSHA ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
On August 18, 2021, President Biden announced that nursing home staff must be vaccinated against COVID-19 or the facilities employing them could lose federal Medicare and Medicaid funding. ...more
8/19/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Federal Funding ,
Health and Safety ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare Facilities ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Long Term Care Facilities ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
Nursing Homes ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Vaccinations
On July 26, 2021, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced that his state will require all state employees and healthcare workers to provide proof of vaccination or be subject to regular COVID-19 testing. On August 5, 2021,...more
8/12/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Health and Safety ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
State Employees ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recently issued a roadmap of critical tasks for employers ready to get their staff back in the office. To date, the majority of guidance has focused on workplaces that remained open...more
On March 23, 2020, Washington State Governor Jay Inslee signed the Stay Home – Stay Healthy Order (Proclamation 20-25, the “Order,” linked here) directing Washingtonians to shelter in place. The Order follows similar state...more
For over 20 years, the State of California has used tribal gaming compacts to accomplish what federal law and tribal sovereignty would otherwise forbid: forcing tribes to follow state labor law in their casinos. Recently...more
3/4/2020
/ Bad Faith ,
Casinos ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Indian Gaming ,
Indian Gaming Regulation Act ,
Labor Relations ,
Native American Issues ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
Sovereign Immunity ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Tribal Governments ,
Tribal-State Gaming Compacts
On January 16, 2020, the New Mexico Supreme Court issued its decision in Mendoza v. Isleta Resort and Casino, holding that a tribe does not waive its sovereign immunity to workers’ compensation claims merely by committing in...more
1/28/2020
/ Appeals ,
Casino Employee ,
Casinos ,
Denial of Benefits ,
Employment Litigation ,
Indian Gaming ,
Insurance Claims ,
Motion to Dismiss ,
Native American Issues ,
Private Right of Action ,
Reversal ,
Sovereign Immunity ,
State and Local Government ,
State Insurance Administrations ,
Statute of Limitations ,
Tribal Governments ,
Tribal-State Gaming Compacts ,
Waivers ,
Workers' Compensation Claim ,
Workplace Injury
Washington’s highest court has ruled that obesity is always an “impairment” under Washington’s Law Against Discrimination (WLAD), regardless of whether obesity is related to some other medical condition. ...more
For 20 years, public agencies in Washington State have been barred from favoring or discriminating against applicants, employees, or contractors based on sex, ethnicity, color, race, or national origin. ...more
Throughout the United States, tribal governments and businesses employ thousands of non-Native Americans. Indeed, in many rural counties, the largest employers are tribal. ...more
On July 27, 2018, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan signed into law the Domestic Worker Ordinance (“the DWO”). Effective July 1, 2019, the ordinance is expected to impact approximately 33,000 domestic workers in Seattle. ...more
8/28/2018
/ Domestic Workers ,
Employee Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Healthcare ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Home Healthcare Workers ,
Local Ordinance ,
Minimum Wage ,
Rest and Meal Break ,
State and Local Government ,
Wage and Hour ,
Work Schedules
With the growth of the Alt-Right and other hate groups in recent years, business owners face increased challenges to uphold values of diversity, ensure employee and customer safety, and protect their brand from association...more