On March 27, 2020, President Trump signed the “Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act.” The CARES Act makes significant changes to the unemployment compensation structure for all employers, including governmental entities and non-profit organizations. The CARES Act also implements a Paycheck Protection Program, which is designed to provide a direct incentive for small businesses
United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) has published a final rule increasing the fee to use its Premium Processing Service from $1,410 to $1,440. The new fee will take effect on December 2, 2019, and requests for Premium Processing postmarked on or after this date must include the new fee.
USCIS offers Premium Processing
One hotly debated aspect of the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”) has been the so-called “Cadillac Tax” on high-cost health benefits, currently slated to take effect in 2022. The Cadillac Tax is a 40% excise tax on the amount of employer-sponsored health care coverage which exceeds $10,200 for individuals and $27,500 for families. (Higher thresholds apply
Last week, the DOL unveiled its new regulations aiming to increase the annual salary threshold to $35,000 for “white collar” overtime exemptions, up from the current $23,660 set in 2004. The DOL estimates that this will result in approximately 1.3 million additional workers now qualifying for overtime. The DOL also increased the “highly compensated worker”
Join us for our annual fall seminar on October 11, 2019 at the Hartford Marriott Downtown. This promises to be an interesting and informative program regarding recent developments in labor and employment law. Our half-day seminar will include discussions of the timely topics listed below as well as updates on recent legislation and court decisions
Most of the promises contained in a union contract expire on the same date the contract expires, subject of course to the obligation to negotiate before making any unilateral changes to the status quo. But in some cases, the benefits in a contract can become “vested” so they cannot be taken away even after the
Last Friday, the National Labor Relations Board (“the Board”) held that the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center did not violate the National Labor Relations Act (“the Act”) when it kicked union organizers out of its cafeteria who had been grabbing lunch and talking union business with a few workers. In doing so, the Board overturned
On May 28, 2019, the New York City Council held a public hearing regarding proposed amendments to New York City’s Earned Safe and Sick Time Act (“ESSTA”) which would require employers to provide eligible employees with “personal time.” The bill also would provide more protections for employees, including protections against retaliation and the addition of monetary penalties for employer violations.
Continue Reading New York City Council Considers Paid Personal Time
Medical marijuana is once more in the news after a man was denied a position as a firefighter in Bridgeport allegedly due to his status as a medical marijuana user. The plaintiff in Bulerin v. Bridgeport, Superior Court, Judicial District of Bridgeport, Docket No. FBT-CV-19-6083042-S, alleges that the City violated Connecticut’s Palliative use of
When Chastity Jones, a black woman from Alabama, lost a job offer because she refused to cut her natural locs, she turned to the federal courts. The company told Ms. Jones that her natural hairstyle violated the company’s grooming policy because locs “tend to get messy.” In response, Jones sought the assistance of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (the “EEOC”) which brought a Title VII claim against the company
Continue Reading Hairstyle Biases: What Employers Should Know About Hair and Race Discrimination