HR Alerts

by Cameron D. Ritsema, Bodman PLC

Under Michigan’s Improved Workforce Opportunity Wage Act (IWOWA), minimum wage increases in the state took effect on January 1, 2026.

Jan 05, 2026 · HR Alerts · Great Lakes · Illinois · Indiana · Michigan · Ohio · Wisconsin

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From pay transparency to remote work, employees are increasingly vocal about working conditions both in the office and online. The National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) protects employees—union and nonunion alike—when they...

Feb 01, 2026 · Employment Law Letter · Great Lakes · Illinois · Indiana · Michigan · Ohio · Wisconsin

In a new wave of lawsuits filed under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), four employers were sued during the recent holiday season for allegedly breaching ERISA fiduciary duties regarding their...

Feb 01, 2026 · Employment Law Letter · Mountain West · Colorado · Idaho · Montana · New Mexico · Utah · Wyoming

Over the past year, I’ve responded to several “Notice of Payment Compliance Complaints” from the Industrial Commission of Arizona (ICA), the state agency responsible for enforcing Arizona wage payment compliance. These...

Feb 01, 2026 · Employment Law Letter · West · Alaska · Arizona · Hawaii · Nevada · Oregon · Washington

Here’s a case that presents retaliation basics in Texas. By basics, I mean what it is that you screen in looking for a way to dismiss a discrimination charge or a lawsuit. Let’s look at a few facts Kelli Smith worked as...

Feb 01, 2026 · Employment Law Letter · Texas

The Frank Sinatra song “My Way” popped into my head as I was reading a case from the Houston area, where an employee argued her pregnancy must be the reason for her termination because her performance was excellent (if...

Feb 01, 2026 · Employment Law Letter · Texas

In Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services, the U.S. Supreme Court, in a rare unanimous employment opinion, held that placing an additional evidentiary burden on majority group plaintiffs was inconsistent with Title...

Feb 01, 2026 · Employment Law Letter · Mountain West · Colorado · Idaho · Montana · New Mexico · Utah · Wyoming

On December 2, 2025, the Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service issued a notice of proposed rulemaking regarding the new “Trump accounts,” which were created by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The...

Feb 01, 2026 · Employment Law Letter · Midwest · Arkansas · Kansas · Missouri · Oklahoma

Artificial intelligence (AI) use is now pervasive, and the era of AI-generated employee communication has arrived. Employers are increasingly encountering emails and letters that feel a little too polished, unusually...

Feb 01, 2026 · Employment Law Letter · New England · Connecticut · Maine · Massachusetts · New Hampshire · Rhode Island · Vermont

Q An employee is requesting to use Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leave to care for her brother, who’s in the hospital in critical care. He isn’t a service member, and she’s neither his caregiver nor in loco...

Feb 01, 2026 · Employment Law Letter · Upper Midwest · Iowa · Minnesota · Nebraska · North Dakota · South Dakota

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued Weighted Selection Process for Registrants and Petitioners Seeking to File Cap-Subject H-1B Petitions, a final rule that significantly reshapes how H-1B cap...

Feb 01, 2026 · Employment Law Letter · Mountain West · Colorado · Idaho · Montana · New Mexico · Utah · Wyoming

During a recent round of labor negotiations, a union proposed the following language regarding artificial intelligence (AI): “Artificial Intelligence shall not be utilized in any manner that displaces, diminishes, or...

Feb 01, 2026 · Employment Law Letter · Southeast · Alabama · Florida · Georgia · Louisiana · Mississippi

A significant element in proving an age discrimination claim in Wisconsin is that the claimant is 40 years old or older. With Wisconsin’s median age hovering right above 40, employers should be mindful of the rights of...

Feb 01, 2026 · Employment Law Letter · Great Lakes · Illinois · Indiana · Michigan · Ohio · Wisconsin