In 2017, Consumers partially withdrew from the Central States, Southeast and Southwest Areas Pension Fund. The fund said the company owed $11.3 million (or monthly payments of $42,200 for 20 years) for its share of the fund’s...more
As companies continue to grow and employ diverse cohorts of skilled workers and professionals across all levels, understanding the legal landscape and mastering the rules of engagement in employee and labor relations is...more
3/11/2025
/ Best Practices ,
Continuing Legal Education ,
Employee Engagement ,
Employment Policies ,
Human Resources Professionals ,
Labor Relations ,
NLRB ,
Productivity ,
Protected Concerted Activity ,
Trump Administration ,
Union Organizers ,
Unions ,
Webinars
On March 10, 2025, the U.S. Senate confirmed Lori Chavez-DeRemer as Secretary of Labor with Keith Sonderling joining her as Deputy Secretary of Labor in the new Trump Administration. The vote was 67 to 32, with 17 Democrats...more
3/11/2025
/ Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Economic Growth ,
Employment Policies ,
Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Labor Reform ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Secretary of Labor ,
Trump Administration
The incoming Presidential administration and its agenda raise valid questions about the future roles, responsibilities, scopes of authority, and priorities of the Department of Labor, the EEOC, the NLRB, and the Federal...more
1/16/2025
/ Administrative Authority ,
Collective Bargaining ,
Continuing Legal Education ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Enforcement Priorities ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Federal Judiciary ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Labor Regulations ,
Legislative Agendas ,
NLRB ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Scope of Authority ,
Trump Administration ,
Unions ,
Webinars
With his recent re-election, former President Donald Trump will once again become President Trump. Given his significant shaping of the federal courts during his first term, it is worth considering what additional impact he...more
On November 15, 2024, U.S. District Judge Sean D. Jordan of the Eastern District of Texas vacated the Biden Administration’s overtime exemption rule. The final rule, which went into effect on July 1, 2024, included a...more
11/19/2024
/ Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Executive Compensation ,
Exempt-Employees ,
Joe Biden ,
Loper Bright Enterprises v Raimondo ,
Minimum Wage ,
Over-Time ,
Salaried Employees ,
Statute of Limitations ,
Threshold Requirements ,
Vacated ,
Wage and Hour
Over the past several years, employers have seen a significant uptick in retaliation claims filed by employees and investigated by federal agencies. For example, in 2010, only approx. 30% of all charges filed with the EEOC...more
7/17/2024
/ Anti-Retaliation Provisions ,
Continuing Legal Education ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) ,
MSHA ,
OSH Act ,
OSHA ,
Retaliation ,
Safety Violations ,
Webinars ,
Whistleblower Protection Policies ,
Whistleblowers ,
Workplace Safety
Workplace violence has been a focus for both the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) for several years, as it continues to be one of the leading...more
3/18/2024
/ Anti-Harassment Policies ,
Best Practices ,
Cal-OSHA ,
California ,
Employee Training ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Enforcement Priorities ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
General Duty Clause ,
Incident Response Plans ,
Negligent Hiring ,
Negligent Supervision ,
New Legislation ,
OSH Act ,
OSHA ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Rulemaking Process ,
State Labor Laws ,
Webinars ,
Workplace Injury ,
Workplace Safety ,
Workplace Violence ,
Workplace Violence Prevention Programs
Over the last decade, Environmental, Social and Governance (“ESG”) has been an ever-evolving regulatory topic around the globe. Younger generations joining the workforce have been vocal about the importance of environmental...more
2/19/2024
/ Continuing Legal Education ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Health and Safety ,
OSHA ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Risk Management ,
Sustainability ,
Webinars ,
Workplace Safety
One of the most visible manifestations of the maxim that elections have consequences is illustrated by the regular oscillations in labor policy at the National Labor Relations Board (“Board”) that follow elections in which an...more
OSHA’s Final Rule to “Improve Tracking of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses” (aka the E-Recordkeeping Rule) requires employers of certain sizes that fall into certain categories to proactively submit electronic injury and...more
Many companies frequently use non-compete and non-solicit clauses in their employment agreements. However, there are several important legal issues to consider before drafting and executing these agreements. When an employee...more
In October 2017, more than four dozen women stood up against workplace harassment by a man of power in the entertainment industry. Then, the #MeToo Movement was born where people of all races, ages, backgrounds, and...more
It is essential for employers to develop, maintain, and evaluate their employee complaint policy and procedure to foster a supportive work environment and address employee issues before they turn into a regulatory issue or...more
Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Jose have hit, are hitting, and will soon be hitting the United States, and first and foremost, employers need to make sure their employees, customers, and guests are safe from the...more
Approximately 1 million workers experience violent acts at work annually. Violence in the workplace is a major concern for employers especially given the events that took place in 2016 in San Bernardino Inland Regional Center...more
As the private sector continues to see a decline in labor union membership among employees, labor unions are struggling to remain relevant and recruit new, dues-paying members. Traditionally, when a labor union begins an...more
While large companies typically have human resources departments or in-house counsel to advise on the myriad of complex employment laws, start-ups and small businesses are often operating in the dark regarding these key...more
4/4/2017
/ Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Compliance ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Human Resources Professionals ,
Local Ordinance ,
Separation Agreement ,
Small Business ,
Startups ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour ,
Webinars
The Trump Administration submitted a blueprint budget for 2018 to Congress proposing $2.5 Billion in cuts to the U.S. Department of Labor’s (“DOL”) operating budget. The President’s proposed budget expressly calls for...more
The D.C. City Council recently passed the Fair Credit in Employment Amendment Act (“the Act”), which now strictly limits an employer’s ability to inquire into an applicant’s credit history as a basis for a hiring decision. ...more
On December 12, 2016, the EEOC issued a resource document, titled “Depression, PTSD, & Other Mental Health Conditions in the Workplace: Your Legal Rights,” reminding employers of workplace rights for employees and applicants...more
For over a year, the D.C. City Council has considered a bill that would have provided employees in the nation’s capital paid family and sick leave. Now, after extended debate and comment from the public and business...more
Although not typically thought of as a hotbed of OSHA/Employment law activity, access to bathrooms by both employees, as well as members of the public, has become a high profile issue of late. OSHA has always required...more
11/30/2016
/ Access to Employer Facilities ,
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Employee Restrooms ,
Gender Discrimination ,
Gender Identity ,
OSHA ,
Right of Access ,
Sexual Orientation Discrimination ,
Title VII ,
Transgender ,
Webinars
What has evolved (or devolved) into perhaps the most controversial election in American history, could translate in a couple of months into a whirlwind for labor and workplace safety policy. Stark differences between the...more
In just a couple of weeks, we will have the opportunity to enter the voting booth, and cast a ballot to elect the next President of the United States. The platforms and proposed polices of the candidates are more divergent...more