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Employment Law

Bill introduced to make 32-hour workweek the norm

03/25/2024
The Thirty-Two Hour Workweek Act would amend the Fair Labor Standards Act to cut the standard workweek from 40 hours per week to 32.

DOL lawsuit accuses farm of ‘Godfather’-style retaliation

03/25/2024
Want to know what you shouldn’t do if employees question their pay? Leave a severed pig’s head at their workstation.

DEI program survives lawsuit alleging reverse discrimination

03/25/2024
A recent 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals case may slow down the fight to kill DEI programs for employers that believe the initiatives are both necessary and serve a legitimate business purpose.

Pending Supreme Court ruling could cause regulatory chaos

03/25/2024
The Chevron rule has been the basis for federal agency rulemaking since 1984. Based on questioning during arguments in Loper v. Raimondo and Relentless v. Department of Commerce, it looks as if the court is ready to either overturn Chevron or severely limit its reach. A decision is expected no later than the end of the current Supreme Court term in June.

EEOC collects record $665 million from employers

03/25/2024
The EEOC collected a record amount of money for victims of employment discrimination, according to the agency’s Annual Performance Report for Fiscal Year 2023. The report says the EEOC took in $665 million from employers on behalf of workers, a 30% increase compared to FY 2022.

Know your obligations for safeguarding employee data, preventing cyberattacks

03/22/2024
Data breaches may seem inevitable, but that’s no consolation for employees who have been victims of identity theft. Many a lawsuit alleging negligence has been filed against employers that were lax about data security. To prevail in those kinds of cases, you must be prepared to show you made reasonable efforts to prevent data leaks.

Think twice before firing an employee for FMLA abuse

03/20/2024
An employee on FMLA leave for their own serious health condition can’t work for you. This doesn’t consign them to sitting at home until their leave is up, however. A federal trial court ruled that an employee on FMLA leave could have her day in court after she was fired for chaperoning her son’s senior trip to Jamaica.

DOL worker-classification rule the ‘law of the land’—for now

03/18/2024
The Department of Labor’s new final rule defining how workers should be classified as either employees or independent contractors went into effect March 11. That’s despite several pending lawsuits that seek to prevent the DOL from enforcing the rule.

NLRB joint-employer rule blocked from taking effect

03/18/2024
A federal judge in Texas has vacated the National Labor Relations Board’s new joint-employer rule, calling it “arbitrary and capricious.”

Accommodating religion: 6 commandments for managers

03/15/2024
With Easter landing on the last day of the month, religious discussions may begin floating through the workplace, and your HR department may receive accommodation requests for some of your team members. You are likely already aware of the caution needed for navigating religion in the workplace. Avoid discrimination and lawsuits with this quick refresher on accommodations and immediate courses of action.