For the past decade, California courts have had the unique task of interpreting a new statute and regulations requiring employers to “provide suitable seating” for employees who are off-duty or whose duties permit them...
Employment Law Letter
On Labor Day, Governor Kathy Hochul signed a new law, Senate Bill S2776C, which makes a prime contractor (“prime”), general contractor (GC), and construction manager (CM) on a construction job liable for a subcontractor...
In a recent decision, the Appellate Division, Second Department ruled an employer’s alleged failure to engage in the “interactive process” wasn’t an independent element of a disability discrimination claim under the New...
Bloomington recently joined the ranks of Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Duluth by mandating paid sick and safe leave (or SSL) beginning on July 1, 2023. Specifically, the Bloomington City Council passed an ordinance...
The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals (whose rulings apply to all Texas employers) has determined that the COVID-19 pandemic is not considered a natural disaster, thus it is not an exception to the federal law that...
Employment-based immigration programs have become increasingly prevalent as labor shortages continue to plague employers throughout the United States. Employers who are dependent on such programs have been provided...
Q As a small employer, can we offer employees a flexible spending account (FSA) if we don’t offer a medical plan? A Unfortunately, you cannot. In fact, no employer can offer an FSA without offering a medical plan. The...
Q A pregnant employee has applied for Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leave but has only been employed with our company for about five months, so she doesn’t meet the one-year, 1,250-hours-worked criteria. Are we...
Q We have an employee who has been out on workers’ compensation for over a year now. Because he hasn’t worked for so long, is he still eligible to participate in our group benefits plan? A Unless there’s a collective...
Q Although we can’t force Medicare-eligible employees to leave our group health plan, can we offer education programs to let them know their options and the benefits? A You can offer education programs to Medicare...
Litigation is hard, complicated, and always surprising. It can be very difficult for an organization to plan for the business issues that litigation brings. But no matter how many times you have dealt with litigation...
In the wake of the United States Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, many companies have announced plans to assist employees in accessing abortion services, including providing...
Worker’s compensation serves as the “exclusive remedy” for employees claiming benefits arising out of a work injury. Therefore, they are barred from suing their employers under more lucrative “tort” theories for injuries...
Voluntary arbitration agreements involving federal law are enforced under the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA). Section 1 of the FAA exempts certain classes of workers, however, from the enforcement of arbitration. The U.S...
When it began in 1996, the E-Verify program initially was available in only five states. Currently, more than 520,000 employers nationwide use the program, with almost 44,000 of those being federal contractors. Because E...