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Noncompete agreements will remain under FTC scrutiny

As many employers likely recall, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) under the Biden administration adopted a final rule in April 2024 that banned almost all noncompete agreements between companies and workers on the...

Apr 01, 2025 · Employment Law Letter · California · New York · 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

West Virginia Legislature enacts higher standard for unemployment recipients

If you’ve seen an uptick in job applications, you might have the West Virginia Legislature to thank for some much-needed updates to unemployment compensation eligibility. However, you may also have more obligations as a...

Apr 01, 2025 · Employment Law Letter · Midsouth · Kentucky · North Carolina · South Carolina · Tennessee · West Virginia

Learn the basics of military leave all Iowa public employers should know

As most public employers know, the rules that apply to the rest of the private employment world are sometimes different for the public sector, particularly when it comes to pay, leave, and similar items. Iowa Code 29A.28...

Apr 01, 2025 · Employment Law Letter · Upper Midwest · Iowa · Minnesota · Nebraska · North Dakota · South Dakota

Employer do’s and don’ts for applying accrued PTO to FMLA leave

The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) allows eligible employees working for covered employers to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid, protected leave during a 12-month period for absences resulting from covered family or...

Apr 01, 2025 · Employment Law Letter · Texas · 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 · Southeast · Alabama · Florida · Georgia · Louisiana · Mississippi · West · Alaska · Arizona · Hawaii · Nevada · Oregon · Washington

April 2025 Iowa Q&A Roundup

Q We have an employee who’s been on an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) leave of absence since 2023, and the employee has provided medical documentation to extend the leave. After we requested clarification, the...

Apr 01, 2025 · Employment Law Letter · Upper Midwest · Iowa · Minnesota · Nebraska · North Dakota · South Dakota

U.S. circuit court removes block on key provisions of Trump’s DEI-related EOs

On February 21, 2025, U.S. District Judge Adam B. Abelson issued a nationwide preliminary injunction in a Maryland federal lawsuit, halting key provisions of two Executive Orders (EOs) issued by President Donald Trump...

Apr 01, 2025 · Employment Law Letter · Southeast · Alabama · Florida · Georgia · Louisiana · Mississippi

Texas Tech lawsuit teaches multiple lessons

Sometimes one lawsuit serves as a valuable teaching tool on several fronts. A recent case from the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals (the federal appeals court covering Texas) fits the bill! I’ll tell you about the facts...

Apr 01, 2025 · Employment Law Letter · Texas

EEOC energetically enforces Pregnant Workers Fairness Act

It’s rarely a good idea to ignore an agency request or summons, to thumb your nose at agency authority, or to simply tell them to go pound sand. There have been a variety of issues in agencies where failure to cooperate...

Apr 01, 2025 · Employment Law Letter · California · New York · 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

Harbor patrol officer’s suit heads for the wrong port

A harbor patrol officer was deemed medically unable to work and asked for disability retirement. When his request was refused, he claimed a violation of the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA). Was that the...

Mar 12, 2025 · Employment Law Letter · California

Employees who ‘want’ arbitrations must prosecute them

In an employer-friendly decision, the California Court of Appeals interpreted an arbitration agreement as requiring employees, not their employer, to initiate arbitration proceedings. In the agreement at issue, the...

Mar 12, 2025 · Employment Law Letter · California

What Trump’s anti-DEI moves mean for Nevada employers

Nevada business owners have undoubtedly seen the many news reports indicating that, on only his second day in office, President Donald Trump issued an Executive Order (EO) designed to eliminate affirmative action (AA)...

Mar 01, 2025 · Employment Law Letter · West · Alaska · Arizona · Hawaii · Nevada · Oregon · Washington

Federal overtime exemption threshold revised, but duties test remains the same

In late 2019, the salary threshold for exempting an employee from overtime pay was lowered. In March 2024, the Department of Labor (DOL) raised the threshold, expanding the number of employees eligible for overtime pay...

Mar 01, 2025 · Employment Law Letter · Great Lakes · Illinois · Indiana · Michigan · Ohio · Wisconsin · Midsouth · Kentucky · North Carolina · South Carolina · Tennessee · West Virginia · Southeast · Alabama · Florida · Georgia · Louisiana · Mississippi

March 2025 Iowa Q&A Roundup

Q We have a pregnant employee who isn’t qualified for Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leave because she just started with the company. She hasn’t been coming to work regularly and has been consistently working under...

Mar 01, 2025 · Employment Law Letter · Upper Midwest · Iowa · Minnesota · Nebraska · North Dakota · South Dakota