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Regulations under Families First Coronavirus Response Act Not Anticipated Until April (US)         

As we previously blogged, last week Congress passed and the President signed into law the “Families First Coronavirus Response Act,” which contains sweeping provisions requiring employers with fewer than 500 employees to provide emergency paid sick leave and emergency leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to employees impacted by in specific, enumerated … Continue Reading

Employers Can Take Advantage of Tax Credits Offsetting Emergency Leave-Related Expense Under Families First Coronavirus Response Act (US)

What a week it’s been.  As of today, March 21, it has been three days since Congress passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA or the Act) and it was signed into law.  It’s also been three days during which employers have faced dwindling workforces due to employees who are self-quarantining due to exposure, … Continue Reading

UPDATED: President Signs Sweeping Congressional Action In Response to Coronavirus (US)

On March 18, 2020, the U.S. Senate approved a bipartisan bill aimed at addressing the coronavirus. After rejecting two attempted amendments to the House bill, the “Families First Coronavirus Response Act” passed the Senate by a vote of 90-8. As we reported on March 17, the comprehensive emergency measure expands nutrition and food assistance, unemployment … Continue Reading

UPDATE (17 March 2020) – House Passes Emergency Coronavirus Response Act, Includes Federal Paid Sick Leave Requirement (US)

On Saturday, March 14, 2020, the US House of Representatives passed a version of HR 6201, referred to as the “Families First Coronavirus Response Act (Act).” The comprehensive emergency measure expanded nutrition and food assistance, unemployment insurance benefits, and protections for workers exposed to risks by the pandemic. Most notably for employers, HR 6201 included … Continue Reading

WEBINAR 16 March 2020: Addressing Coronavirus Practically and Legally: What US Employers Need to Know

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), commonly known as the “coronavirus,” is now impacting employers all across the US.  Every organization should have a plan of action in place concerning the coronavirus as the threat of an outbreak at your workplace cannot be ignored. Please join us for a live webinar on Monday, March 16, 2020 … Continue Reading

DOL’s September Opinion Letters Address CBA and FMLA Conflicts and Retail and Service Overtime Exemption (US)

The United States Department of Labor’s (“DOL”) Wage and Hour Division issued two opinion letters on September 10, 2019, addressing certain aspects of the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”) and Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”). DOL opinion letters are not binding law, but provide guidance into how the DOL interprets the laws that … Continue Reading

More DOL Letters Needed For Clarity On Enforcement Strategy (US)

Expanding on their previous post on the subject, on April 3, 2019, Law360 published the following article authored by Squire Patton Boggs labor and employment attorneys Laura Lawless Robertson and Melissa Legault. The U.S. Department of Labor recently issued a trio of opinion letters offering employers guidance in implementing the Family and Medical Leave Act and the Fair Labor … Continue Reading

DOL Opinion Letter Clarifies Employer Responsibilities Regarding FMLA Leave Designation (US)

On March 14, 2019, the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”), Wage and Hour Division, released an opinion letter, FMLA2019-1-A, stating that employers cannot delay the designation of FMLA-qualifying leave or designate more than 12 weeks of leave (or 26 weeks of military caregiver leave) as FMLA leave.… Continue Reading

U.S. Department of Labor Forms New Interagency Compliance Office

This week, U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta announced that the Department of Labor (DOL), in collaboration with other federal employment agencies, was creating an Office of Compliance Initiatives (OCI). The DOL, through its various divisions, oversees compliance with and enforces the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Occupational Safety and … Continue Reading

Paid Family Leave On the Rise – California and New York State Both Set to Expand Benefits Starting January 1, 2018

Come January 1, 2018, employees in California and New York will enjoy new and expanded rights to time off work, with pay, to attend to certain family needs.  New York, whose law was enacted in 2016 (see our prior post here), boasts its law as being the nation’s “strongest and most comprehensive” on paid family … Continue Reading

Seventh Circuit Explains: The ADA Is Not A “Medical Leave” Statute

On September 20, 2017, the Seventh Circuit in Severson v. Heartland Woodcraft, Inc. held that a long-term leave of absence is not a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”).  As we all know, the ADA prohibits employers from discriminating against “qualified individuals” with disabilities, defining such individuals as applicants or employees who, with … Continue Reading

US Department of Labor Resumes Issuing Opinion Letters To Assist Employers Navigate Federal Wage & Hour and Leave Laws

Newly appointed Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta announced on June 27 that the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) would resume issuing opinion letters in response to employers and employees who submit inquiries seeking fact-specific interpretations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”) and the Family and Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”).  Opinion letters are official, interpretative … Continue Reading

Time Off as an ADA Accommodation? You Better Be-Leave It!

Many employers maintain policies that restrict the amount of time an employee can take off from work, or that prohibit employees who are ineligible for leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act to take time off from work at all even when ill or injured.  But a new resource document issued by the EEOC … Continue Reading

EMPLOYEE STRESSED OUT BY MANAGER IS NOT DISABLED AND MAY BE TERMINATED

Stress can be a common workplace complaint, and such complaints are often attributed to managers—perhaps unsurprisingly given the managerial role of meeting performance goals. A recent case found that such narrow and particularized stress is not a disability recognized under California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA). Aside from the reason for the plaintiff’s stress, … Continue Reading

Are You Using the Updated FMLA Forms?

Over the Memorial Day holiday weekend, the DOL published updated FMLA forms.  They were a little overdue as the prior FMLA forms available on the Department of Labor’s website expired on February 28, 2015.  In any event, the updated forms, which are good through 2018, include the following: (All links are PDFs) Notice of Eligibility … Continue Reading

FMLA: A Spouse Is A Spouse, No Matter Their Sex

On February 25, 2015, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division issued a Final Rule revising the definition of spouse under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) so that eligible employees in legal same-sex marriages may take FMLA leave to care for their spouse or family member. Effective March 27, 2015, the term … Continue Reading

A Casual Conversation is Insufficient Notice Under the FMLA

Although covered employers are required to provide leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act for eligible employees, employees must provide notice of such leave.   It is clear that an employee is not required to specifically mention FMLA.  However, what the notice looks like depends in large part on the individual circumstances.  Recently, the Seventh … Continue Reading

Is a Pre-Eligibility Leave Request a Viable Basis for FMLA Claims?

Yes, in a case of first impression, the Eleventh Circuit affirmed that a pre-eligibility request for post-eligibility leave may serve as a viable basis for interference and retaliation claims under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). Pereda v. Brookdale Senior Living Cmtys., Inc., 2012 U.S. App. LEXIS 492 (11th Cir. Fla. Jan. 10, 2012). Plaintiff … Continue Reading
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