In 2021, trade secrets and non-competes continued to garner attention on the national stage. Non-competes were the focus of significant legislative activity at both the federal and local levels, while trade secrets lead to...more
While much ink has been spilled over the applicability and ramifications of the federal contractor vaccine mandate, a federal court in Georgia has halted enforcement (at least temporarily) by issuing a nationwide injunction...more
Shifting standards and deadlines place additional burdens on contractors seeking to remain in compliance.
What to Know -
On November 30, 2021, a federal judge granted an injunction barring the government from enforcing the...more
12/6/2021
/ Appeals ,
Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Mandates ,
Enforcement ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Contractors ,
General Services Administration (GSA) ,
Injunctions ,
NASA ,
OMB ,
OSHA ,
Popular ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
On September 9, 2021, President Biden signed Executive Order 14042, "Ensuring Adequate COVID Safety Protocols for Federal Contractors," that directed agencies to include a clause in new contracts, options, and extensions...more
10/14/2021
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Biden Administration ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Mandates ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Employees ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
New Guidance ,
OSHA ,
Subcontractors ,
Title VII ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety ,
World Health Organization
With COVID-19 cases once again rising due to the spread of the more contagious Delta variant, the Centers for Disease Control (“CDC”) and the Biden Administration have issued new guidance and requirements on masking and...more
8/2/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Collective Bargaining ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Federal Contractors ,
Jurisdiction ,
Masks ,
New Guidance ,
Paid Time Off (PTO) ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Vaccinations
Employers should ensure they have appropriate policies in place for properly handling confidential medical records.
On March 19, 2021, New Jersey adopted guidance from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and...more
Employers should be mindful of this new leave law understanding that they may not take any adverse action, discriminate, or retaliate against an employee for requesting leave to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
New York...more
As increasing scrutiny was cast at the state and federal level on noncompetition agreements and other restrictive covenants, companies were forced to assess their ability to safeguard trade secret information. Not to mention...more
3/8/2021
/ Anti-Raiding ,
Confidentiality Agreements ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Defend Trade Secrets Act (DTSA) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Intellectual Property Litigation ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Non-Disclosure Agreement ,
The Copyright Act ,
Trade Secrets
After months of debate, Congress has passed, and President Trump is expected to sign, a COVID-19 relief, appropriations, and tax bill. Doubtlessly, the Bill, which is nearly 6,000 pages long, will undergo much scrutiny and...more
On April 27, 2020, the US Department of Labor (DOL) issued Unemployment Insurance Program Letter No. 18-20 (the Guidance) to provide states with instructions on implementing the emergency unemployment relief provisions in...more
We previously reported on how the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) and its state law equivalents would apply to layoffs, furloughs, and closings during the coronavirus pandemic.
The US...more
The CARES Act provides another resource for federal contractors seeking to retain personnel, but actually obtaining the money requires circumspection and strategy.
Section 3610 of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic...more
Earlier this month, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued two memoranda detailing the agency’s plan for conducting enforcement actions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
On April 13, OSHA released an...more
The U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service have published more information on refundable tax credits that reimburse small and mid-size employers, on a dollar-for-dollar basis, for the cost of...more
4/2/2020
/ CARES Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ,
Internal Revenue Code (IRC) ,
IRS ,
Medical Leave ,
Paid Family Leave Law ,
Paid Leave ,
Relief Measures ,
Sick Leave ,
Tax Credits ,
U.S. Treasury ,
Wages
To address COVID-19’s rapid spread in Washington, DC and across the region and the nation, Mayor Muriel Bowser has issued a stay-at-home order for the District of Columbia. The Order, which goes into effect on April 1, 2020...more
Governor Ralph Northam, like his Maryland counterpart, today issued an Order that requires people in Virginia to remain at home. And, to the extent that they use shared spaces, whether indoors or out, the Order requires...more
Today, Governor Larry Hogan has taken his most aggressive measure yet to protect public safety and prevent COVID-19’s spread. Effective at 8:00 p.m., today, he has ordered everyone who resides in Maryland to remain at...more
On March 24th, the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division issued its first round of guidance regarding the Families First Coronavirus Response Act.
The new guidance includes two new posters, one for federal workers...more
Yesterday, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam issued a state-wide order aimed at promoting health and safety and reducing COVID-19’s spread. The order, which goes into effect today at 11:59 p.m., bans all gatherings of more than...more
Yesterday, District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser issued an order aimed at significantly slowing the community transmission of COVID-19. The order, which went into effect immediately, bans all gatherings of more than 10...more
With COVID-19 diagnosed in 21 of Maryland’s 24 counties and the disease’s death toll increasing, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan has issued another order designed to stem the virus’s spread. Effective at 5:00 on Monday evening,...more
The disruptions resulting from the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic present difficult questions for many employers who must decide whether to close offices, furlough employees, or layoff all or part of their workforce....more
Earlier this week, we published an Alert that reviews the EEOC’s recent guidance entitled What Employers Should Know about the ADA, the Rehabilitation Act, and COVID-19. This Alert reviews the additional guidance that the...more
On March 18, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser signed into law the COVID-19 Response Emergency Amendment Act of 2020. The statute, which the City Council passed unanimously, contains two major workforce protections applicable to...more
The package was sent to the President’s desk after undergoing technical changes to paid medical leave and public health emergency medical leave provisions that will limit costs for small businesses. Employers with 500...more
3/20/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Cost-Sharing ,
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
FMAP ,
Health Insurance ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
Paid Leave ,
Sick Leave ,
Tax Credits ,
TRICARE