• The HR Specialist - Print Newsletter
  • HR Specialist: Employment Law
  • The HR Weekly

Employment Law

JPMorgan Chase to pay $9.8 mil for pay bias

11/25/2020
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs has been at the forefront of confronting pay disparities between men and women. Lately the OFCCP has been on a roll.

California’s Prop 22 redefines worker classification

11/24/2020
On Nov. 3, California voters approved a state ballot initiative that could become a nationwide model for how gig economy workers are classified. Proposition 22 allows gig economy companies such as Uber to designate their drivers as independent contractors, not employees, as earlier legislation had attempted to dictate.

FFCRA to expire Dec. 31: Will it be extended?

11/19/2020
When Congress passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act in March, it set the law to expire on Dec. 31. The virus is still raging and Congress is now considering extending into 2021 the law.

Never base no-hire decision on workers’ comp history

11/19/2020
Refusing to hire a worker who has a history of workers’ compensation claims is asking for legal trouble. That could violate the workers’ comp laws in most states, and might be illegal under the ADA, too.

Expect pressure to relax grooming standards

11/19/2020
United Parcel Service, with 525,000 employees, just became one of the largest employers to embrace more relaxed grooming standards. The change comes as more locales enact laws based on model legislation known as the Creating a Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural Hair Act.

Beware firing employee during medical testing

11/19/2020
Remind supervisors: Firing an employee while she is undergoing medical testing could easily trigger a lawsuit. Reason: It’s illegal to discriminate against an employee based on suspicions she might become ill or disabled in the future. That would amount to regarding her as disabled, which violates the ADA.

When to pay for travel time: 3 scenarios

11/16/2020
A new Department of Labor opinion letter answers questions about when employers must pay for time employees spend traveling to and from worksites. Opinion letter FLSA2020-16 addresses three scenarios.

Most employers tackled pay equity issues this year

11/16/2020
Sixty percent of employers say they are addressing pay equity in their organizations and 70% are taking action to make their workplaces more diverse, equitable and inclusive.

Biden’s DOL pick to bring pro-employee tilt

11/16/2020
The next Secretary of Labor will bring a pro-employee perspective to the U.S. Department of Labor. Almost all the contenders President-Elect Joe Biden is said to be considering for the job have close ties to labor unions.

Compelling need required to demand ‘perfect English’

11/12/2020
Ensure supervisors understand they can’t require employees to be fluent English speakers unless it’s essential to performing their jobs. Insisting on “perfect English” can easily trigger an EEOC lawsuit.