Employment Law Letter

Wild after-hours Halloween party leads to sexual harassment lawsuit

Like Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Tennessee Human Rights Act (THRA) forbids workplace harassment and other forms of discrimination on the basis of sex. Recently, the Tennessee Court of Appeals...

May 31, 2021 · Employment Law Letter · Great Lakes · Illinois · Indiana · Michigan · Ohio · Wisconsin · Mid-Atlantic · Delaware · Maryland · New Jersey · Pennsylvania · Virginia · Midsouth · Kentucky · North Carolina · South Carolina · Tennessee · West Virginia · Midwest · Arkansas · Kansas · Missouri · Oklahoma · Mountain West · Colorado · Idaho · Montana · New Mexico · Utah · Wyoming · New England · Connecticut · Maine · Massachusetts · New Hampshire · Rhode Island · Vermont · Southeast · Alabama · Florida · Georgia · Louisiana · Mississippi · Upper Midwest · Iowa · Minnesota · Nebraska · North Dakota · South Dakota · West · Alaska · Arizona · Hawaii · Nevada · Oregon · Washington

OSHA focuses enforcement efforts on higher-risk workplaces amid pandemic

On March 21, 2021, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published a national emphasis program (NEP) to focus its enforcement efforts on preventing employees from contracting COVID-19 and protecting...

May 23, 2021 · Employment Law Letter · Great Lakes · Illinois · Indiana · Michigan · Ohio · Wisconsin · Mid-Atlantic · Delaware · Maryland · New Jersey · Pennsylvania · Virginia · Midsouth · Kentucky · North Carolina · South Carolina · Tennessee · West Virginia · Midwest · Arkansas · Kansas · Missouri · Oklahoma · Mountain West · Colorado · Idaho · Montana · New Mexico · Utah · Wyoming · New England · Connecticut · Maine · Massachusetts · New Hampshire · Rhode Island · Vermont · Southeast · Alabama · Florida · Georgia · Louisiana · Mississippi · Upper Midwest · Iowa · Minnesota · Nebraska · North Dakota · South Dakota · West · Alaska · Arizona · Hawaii · Nevada · Oregon · Washington

Acting NLRB General Counsel announces enforcement priorities

Following the practice of his recent predecessors, National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) Acting General Counsel (GC) Peter Sung Ohr announced his office's enforcement priorities in a memorandum published on March 31...

Unruh Civil Rights Act provides broad racial harassment protections

In a recent case, an employee attended a work-related presentation during which the trainer made alleged offensive racial comments to him. The issue on appeal was whether the employee stated valid claims against the...

May 23, 2021 · Employment Law Letter · California

Teacher sues school district for placing him in 'teacher jail'

California has an anti-SLAPP law that is designed to provide for early dismissal of meritless lawsuits filed against people for the exercise of First Amendment rights. The acronym SLAPP stands for "strategic lawsuit...

May 23, 2021 · Employment Law Letter · California

New law requires rehiring workers laid off because of COVID-19

On April 15, 2021, the California Legislature approved Senate Bill 93, which was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom on April 16 and took effect immediately as Labor Code Section 2810.8. The law will expire on...

May 23, 2021 · Employment Law Letter · California

UC regents exempt from certain wage and benefits regulations

Do California's minimum wage laws apply only to some California workers? That is what a recent California appellate court held in a lawsuit by a former employee filed against her former employer, the Regents of the...

May 09, 2021 · Employment Law Letter · California

Third trial provides the Rite Aid for terminated employee

It’s a bad result when an employer is ordered to pay several million dollars to a terminated employee. But having to try the case three times—and still have to pay a multimillion-dollar verdict—is a worse result yet, as...

May 09, 2021 · Employment Law Letter · California

POBRA can't shield police misconduct from public scrutiny

In 1991, the California Supreme Court recognized that "nothing can more swiftly destroy the community's confidence in its police force than its perception that concerns raised about an officer's honesty or integrity will...

May 09, 2021 · Employment Law Letter · California

State legislature considers medical marijuana protections, paid voting leave

As we've reported previously, the 93rd Arkansas General Assembly, which is now in session, has taken up many employment-related bills. The latest include an amendment removing medical marijuana protections for employees...

May 04, 2021 · Employment Law Letter · Great Lakes · Illinois · Indiana · Michigan · Ohio · Wisconsin · Mid-Atlantic · Delaware · Maryland · New Jersey · Pennsylvania · Virginia · Midsouth · Kentucky · North Carolina · South Carolina · Tennessee · West Virginia · Midwest · Arkansas · Kansas · Missouri · Oklahoma · Mountain West · Colorado · Idaho · Montana · New Mexico · Utah · Wyoming · New England · Connecticut · Maine · Massachusetts · New Hampshire · Rhode Island · Vermont · Southeast · Alabama · Florida · Georgia · Louisiana · Mississippi · Upper Midwest · Iowa · Minnesota · Nebraska · North Dakota · South Dakota · West · Alaska · Arizona · Hawaii · Nevada · Oregon · Washington

Employer's mandatory vaccination policy update

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) guidance has confirmed employers may require a COVID-19 vaccination as a condition of employment and/or to return to the workplace. Employers that choose to do so, however...

Get ready for union organizing on steroids

Against the backdrop of a new presidential administration, an evolving workforce, and a changing economy brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, the landscape for union organizing has radically changed in 2021. While the...

WV commissioner addresses coverage of COVID-19-related workers' comp claims

Several states have passed laws addressing the compensability of COVID-19-related workers' compensation claims. West Virginia hasn't enacted any specific legislation about whether contracting the coronavirus should...

Apr 30, 2021 · Employment Law Letter · Great Lakes · Illinois · Indiana · Michigan · Ohio · Wisconsin · Mid-Atlantic · Delaware · Maryland · New Jersey · Pennsylvania · Virginia · Midsouth · Kentucky · North Carolina · South Carolina · Tennessee · West Virginia · Midwest · Arkansas · Kansas · Missouri · Oklahoma · Mountain West · Colorado · Idaho · Montana · New Mexico · Utah · Wyoming · New England · Connecticut · Maine · Massachusetts · New Hampshire · Rhode Island · Vermont · Southeast · Alabama · Florida · Georgia · Louisiana · Mississippi · Upper Midwest · Iowa · Minnesota · Nebraska · North Dakota · South Dakota · West · Alaska · Arizona · Hawaii · Nevada · Oregon · Washington

Tips to understand, prepare for the CROWN Act

Have you heard of the CROWN Act? No, it isn’t a popular TV streaming series about Queen Elizabeth II. The CROWN Act is a new antidiscrimination law sweeping the nation, and it could be coming to a legislature near you...

What Biden's $1.9 trillion relief bill contains for employers

President Joe Biden signed a sweeping $1.9 trillion COVID-19 economic relief package, known as the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA), into law in early March. The stimulus bill touches on myriad different areas, e...

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Employment Law Letter

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