The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA), which became effective in June 2023, requires covered employers to provide job-related accommodations to employees for work limitations they experience due to pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions. (See our prior coverage here.) Since the PWFA’s enactment, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued regulations explaining employer obligations … Continue Reading
The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) provides job-protected, unpaid time off to certain U.S. employees for pregnancy, childbirth or adoption or during periods of personal or family illness. One basis upon which eligible employees can take FMLA leave is to care for a family member with a serious health condition, but the language of … Continue Reading
We first reported in February 2023 on a surprising and alarming decision by the U.S. National Labor Relations Board (NLRB or “the Board”)—In re McLaren Macomb—which concluded that the mere proffer of a severance agreement with broad confidentiality and/or non-disparagement provisions could violate Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), which protects the … Continue Reading
On August 20, 2024, a Texas federal judge permanently barred the implementation of a controversial Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regulation that would have invalidated tens of millions of existing non-compete agreements and precluded the adoption of new covenants. The decision comes as a tremendous relief to employers that feared the FTC’s regulation would have made … Continue Reading
As we have previously reported, in early 2022, Congress passed and President Biden signed into law the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act of 2021 (EFAA), a law that bans mandatory arbitration of certain sexual assault or sexual harassment claims. Since its enactment, we have tracked some of the procedural challenges … Continue Reading
As we previously reported, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a Final Rule which, on its anticipated effective date of September 4, 2024, will invalidate nearly all preexisting noncompetition agreements and bar employers from entering into such restrictions with workers in the future. Since then, the Final Rule has been subject to legal challenges … Continue Reading
In January 2023, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) proposed a sweeping rule that, with limited exceptions (such as for highly compensated executives or in connection with the sale of a business), would prohibit employers from entering into post-employment non-competition arrangements with workers. (See our post here.) Under the proposed rule, an agreement between an … Continue Reading
For nearly a year, we have been tracking (see here and here) the US Department of Labor’s (DOL) Final Rule modifying the salary requirements applicable to US employees who are exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act’s (FLSA) overtime requirement under the executive, administrative, and professional (EAP) “white collar exemptions.” The Final Rule is scheduled … Continue Reading
Lonnie Billard was a well-loved and decorated drama and English teacher at Charlotte Catholic High School (CCHS) in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. He was named Teacher of the Year in 2012 after serving the Catholic high school’s students for eleven years. Two years later, CCHS told Mr. Billard he was not welcome back as a … Continue Reading
May 5-11 is National Pet Week. You may be work from home with your constant cuddly companion always nearby, or you may work at one of the growing number of companies offering pet-friendly in-office policies. But if you are or work for one of the many employers with a strict policy against bringing Fluffy or … Continue Reading
Congress passed the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) on June 27, 2023. The law requires covered employers—which, in the private sector, includes those with 15 or more employees—to provide a reasonable accommodation to a qualified employee’s or applicant’s known limitations related to, affected by, or arising out of pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, unless … Continue Reading
On June 29, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court announced its unanimous opinion in Groff v. DeJoy, No. 22-174, 600 U.S. __ (2023), a long-awaited decision explaining employers’ obligations under Title VII to reasonably accommodate employees’ religious beliefs, observances and practices. Groff, the first Supreme Court decision in nearly 50 years to consider what employers must … Continue Reading
We previously reported on the enactment of the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act of 2021 (“EFAA”), a law that amended the Federal Arbitration Act (“FAA”) to preclude mandatory arbitration of sexual harassment and sexual assault cases. After the EFAA, employers utilizing mandatory arbitration programs must carve out sexual harassment and … Continue Reading
Squire Patton Boggs Labor & Employment Partner Laura Lawless and Summer Associate Esther Gold cover a recent opinion from the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit addressing the extent to which sexually offensive music played in the workplace may violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. “These tunes are … Continue Reading
Here’s the situation: You own a small business that employs 15 employees. You do your best to provide good pay and benefits, but, like many companies, your business has been adversely impacted by lingering effects of the pandemic and the overall sluggishness of the economy. You call an all-hands meeting and reluctantly inform your employees … Continue Reading
As we previously reported, the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB,” or “the Board”) decided last month in McLaren Macomb, 372 NLRB No. 58, that an employer commits an unfair labor practice (“ULP”) when it presents a non-supervisory employee with a severance agreement containing broad confidentiality and/or non-disparagement provisions. The Board reasoned that even proffering an … Continue Reading
The global economic downturn means that we are likely to see more restructuring and reorganization measures during 2023. Employers need to be aware of compliance with the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (the federal “WARN” Act), which requires advance notification in the case of plant closings and mass layoffs. Some states have also … Continue Reading
In a first of its kind opinion, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (which hears appeals from the federal district courts in Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania) ruled that an employer does not violate the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) when it deducts time from FLSA-exempt employees’ paid time off (PTO) banks … Continue Reading
On February 22, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision clarifying employers’ obligation to pay overtime under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The decision, Helix Energy Solutions Grp., Inc. v. Hewitt, No. 21-984, — S.Ct. — (Feb. 22, 2023), affirmed the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals’ interpretation of the FLSA’s overtime pay … Continue Reading
On February 9, 2023, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued a Field Assistance Bulletin addressing several vexing questions pertaining to compliance with the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) when a business employs teleworkers. Field Assistance Bulletins do not have the effect of law, but nonetheless are important … Continue Reading
Earlier this year, we reported that Congress amended the Federal Arbitration Act to preclude compulsory binding arbitration of sexual assault and sexual harassment claims. This past week, Congress went a step further, passing the Speak Out Act, S. 4524, which is aimed at prohibiting prospective, pre-dispute non-disclosure and non-disparagement agreements that prevent employees from discussing … Continue Reading
An estimated 16% of American workers derive at least some of their annual income from “gig” work – “side hustles” whereby they (purportedly) choose from available, on-demand work opportunities, usually through internet-based platforms or apps, working when, where, and for as long as they want. However, the practical reality for many gig workers is that … Continue Reading
The metaverse is poised to reshape the way we live and work. Employment law in real life is vexing enough, with US employers required to navigate the complex federal, state and local laws and regulations that impact the employment relationship. Now some employers and businesses are making the leap into the virtual world, where employment … Continue Reading
On July 12, 2022, the EEOC updated its informal COVID-19 guidance to employers in a number of significant and surprising ways, most of which call for more nuanced assessment of community risk and consideration of evolving public health guidance:… Continue Reading
