Perspectives on Labor, Employment & OSHA

Governor Ralph Northam has approved a new statute that broadens the legal protection available to whistleblowers. Before the new law, whistleblowers had limited legislative protection and the state’s wrongful discharge tort extended to few whistleblowers.

Last week, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam signed into law the Virginia Values Act.

What questions may employers ask their employees about their health status in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic? In today’s episode, Valerie Samuels and Michael Stevens address what’s permissible under the ADA and state and local equivalents.

Join us for a discussion on the key legal issues related to COVID-19 that international companies need to consider and watch out for. During this webinar, we will discuss the latest developments in the employment, international trade, insurance, and the CARES Act.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has issued updated FAQs on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) issues relating to confidentiality, reasonable accommodation, hiring, and other pandemic-related topics.

Yesterday, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission updated and expanded its March 17th and 18th guidances on legal issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic.  

The following chart has been compiled to provide New York employers with guidance as they weigh decisions about whether to approve an employee’s leave request(s) based on different common factual scenarios that may arise.

On April 1, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued a press release announcing its publication of a Final Rule on the paid sick leave requirements and family leave requirements of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA).

Turf magazine

Turf magazine

Under California’s Labor Code Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA), an employee may sue his or her employer to recover civil penalties for the alleged violation of Labor Code provisions.

Complying with California’s wage and hour rules can be hard in ordinary times. Now, along with the many challenges that the COVID-19 emergency poses, California employers may face new situations and issues. 

Under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) employers with 499 or fewer employees are responsible for providing employees with paid sick leave and paid expanded family and medical leave under certain circumstances related to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).  

On Wednesday afternoon, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued a temporary final rule providing further clarity on how the agency will be implementing the paid emergency family and medical leave and emergency paid sick leave provisions of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA).

The U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service have published more information on refundable tax credits that reimburse small and mid-size employers, on a dollar-for-dollar basis, for the cost of providing their employees paid sick and family leave related to COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to create disruption around the globe, raising obvious questions about our health and wellbeing, and presenting significant business and economic challenges.

On March 27 and 28, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) released additional question-and-answer style guidance on the emergency paid sick and family leave provisions of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), which we first reported here.

To address COVID-19’s rapid spread in Washington, DC and across the region and the nation, Mayor Muriel Bowser has issued a stay-at-home order for the District of Columbia. The Order, which goes into effect on April 1, 2020 at 12:01 a.m., parallels orders that Maryland and Virginia issued yesterday.

With the COVID-19 pandemic, dealers are handling complicated health and business issues. We talked with Aaron Jacoby about the impact of FMLA amendments and how they are designed to provide relief for employees and employers. 

Governor Ralph Northam, like his Maryland counterpart, today issued an Order that requires people in Virginia to remain at home. 

Today, Governor Larry Hogan has taken his most aggressive measure yet to protect public safety and prevent COVID-19’s spread. Effective at 8:00 p.m., today, he has ordered everyone who resides in Maryland to remain at home.

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to impact employers’ business operations, employers with unionized workforces are faced with making business decisions while fulfilling their obligation to bargain with their employees’ collective bargaining representatives.   

With consumers attempting to navigate quarantine and “shelter-in-place” orders, businesses that sell basic necessities are facing overwhelming demand.

On March 24th, the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division issued its first round of guidance regarding the Families First Coronavirus Response Act.

On March 24 and 25, the U.S. Department of Labor released guidance on the implementation of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), which we wrote about here when it passed last week.