The Supreme Court of the United States (“Supreme Court’) recently clarified the standard for claims brought under Title VII involving allegations of discrimination related to job transfers. Specifically, the Supreme Court held that employees only need to show “some harm” to the terms and conditions of their employment resulting from the transfer and unanimously rejected
A Busy Week for FTC and DOL: New Rules Announced Restricting Non-Compete Clauses and Expanding Overtime Protection
FTC Issues Anticipated Rule Barring Non-Compete Agreements
On Tuesday afternoon, the Federal Trade Commission issued a final rule largely banning non-compete agreements for employees. The rule is intended to go into effect in around four months but will likely be the subject of multiple legal challenges.
The rule is short in its nature.
It defines…
What Employers Should Know About the EEOC’s Final Regulations on Pregnant Workers Fairness Act
The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA), in force since June 27, 2023, requires employers with 15 or more employees to accommodate pregnancy-related limitations. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently released a 408-page final rule on April 15, 2024, implementing the PWFA, effective from June 18, 2024.
This post will recap some of the key…
Supreme Court Announces New Test for Determining Whether Social Media Posts Constitute State Action
Earlier this month, the Supreme Court considered whether James Freed, a city manager who maintained a “mixed use” Facebook account on which he posted information about his personal life and his job, violated the First Amendment and was subject to liability under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (“Section 1983”) when he deleted comments with which he…
Regional Director of NLRB’s Region 1 Office Upends College Sports by Declaring That Student Athletes Are Employees
On Monday, February 5, 2024, the Region 1 Regional Director of the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”) issued a Decision and Direction of Election that permits the Dartmouth College men’s basketball team to proceed forward with a union election.
The National Labor Relations Act (“NLRA”) grants expansive rights to employees of most private sector…
Department of State to Launch Stateside H-1B Visa Renewal Pilot Program on January 29
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) is launching a stateside visa renewal pilot program that will allow certain eligible H-1B visa holders to apply to renew their visa stamp from within the United States during a defined time period. The H-1B visa is for foreign nationals who are working in the United States in professional…
DOL Issues Final Independent Contractor Rule
On January 9, 2024, the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) issued a final rule (“Final Rule”) defining the term independent contractor under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”), rescinding the previous definition of independent contractor outlined in 2021 (“2021 Rule”). The Final Rule establishes a six-factor test based on the economic reality of the worker…
Podcast Season 2, Episode 2 Now Available: Tackling Difficult Accommodations Under ADA and FMLA
Scenarios that arise for employers under the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Family Medical Leave Act are often complex and without simple solutions. Oftentimes, these situations hinge on a particular fact that might be unusual or unique. In this podcast, we will present a brief overview of the ADA and FMLA, look at some…
New Podcast Episode Now Available: Employer Policies After the Stericycle Decision
We begin Season 2 of From Lawyer to Employer with a discussion about the recent Stericycle Decision from the National Labor Relations Board. Listen as guest speaker, Sarah Niemiroski chats with host, Daniel Schwartz about the the far-reaching impacts this decision has for employers when creating workplace policies. What’s different about Stericycle as opposed to Boeing? What type…
IRS Announces New Retirement Plan Limits for 2024
Today the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced the new dollar limits that apply for retirement plans in 2024. These annual limits generally continue to increase (in some cases rather substantially compared to the limits in effect just ten years ago), based on the cost-of-living calculation methodology that is set forth in the Internal Revenue Code. …