In late April 2021, the U.S. Department of Labor's (DOL) Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS) signaled its intent to revisit the "persuader rule," an Obama-era regulation that imposed strict reporting requirements...
Employment Law Letter
The U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals (which covers Michigan and Ohio employers) recently addressed whether a public university violated a professor's rights under the First Amendment's Free Speech and Free Exercise...
A recent Ohio federal district court decision provides a sobering reminder about the problems created when employers make assumptions about disabilities. Specifically, after finding an employee's medical condition wasn't...
The bona fide occupational qualification (BFOQ) defense barred a female corrections officer's sex discrimination claims because the county employer had proven its two-female policy was both reasonably necessary and...
As government regulations surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic begin to loosen, employers with remote operations will have more opportunities to transition people back into the physical workplace. Here are key issues to...
Q Under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), if an employee willfully and knowingly disregards company policy, is she not voluntarily terminating her employment? Also, in that same vein, when does misconduct move from...
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Hawaii Legislature recently passed (and Governor David Ige signed) a measure lowering employers’ unemployment insurance (UI) contribution rate. Lawmakers also approved and sent...
In 2019, Washington passed the first law in the nation requiring employees to fund a state-operated long-term care insurance program. The program, codified at RCW 50B.04 and set to begin on January 1, 2025, will be...
Maintaining a diverse workforce is increasingly necessary for companies to be competitive and successful in the global marketplace. But what happens when diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives collide head-on...
Disney’s next sure-to-be blockbuster movie, Cruella, tells the story of Cruella de Vil, the puppy-stealing psychopath who uses the animals’ fur for her over-the-top, sartorial splendor. She’s deranged and...
COVID-19 vaccine passports seem to be the hot-button issue of the day. Most of the media coverage and remarks from politicians have focused on companies requiring customers, guests, or students having proof of...
In response to mounting pressure from all sides, employers are racing to implement robust diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Increasingly, they're placing a greater emphasis on establishing goals to...
Otto von Bismarck noted that "politics is the art of the possible, the attainable." No one seems to have let our politicians in on that piece of wisdom. Senator Mitch McConnell is intent on making almost anything...
On June 8, Senate Republicans blocked the Paycheck Fairness Act from advancing to the Senate floor for consideration. The bill, which was aimed at closing the gender pay gap, needed 60 votes to move forward, but it was...
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently issued an emergency temporary standard (ETS) to expand protections against COVID-19 for workers in the healthcare sector. How we got here As soon as Joe...