When I was in second grade, my favorite books were “choose your own adventure” books. “If you want John to go into the cave to search for the secret skull, turn to page 16. If you want John to run away like a little chicken, turn to page 128.” I was in complete control of my character’s destiny. No author was going to tell me what to do. I had ...
T’was the Night before Christmas
And all through the House (and Senate)
All the creatures were stirring
Our hopes they won’t douse
They wrote and they wrote
The bill was quite long
All finally agreed
What more could go wrong?
Trump said: “I hate it!”
“It’s not big enough.”
And further he said:
“And it’s all filled with fluff.”
He ...
By: Dan Burke & Laura Caty
The good news is that the COVID vaccine is being administered this week! At the end of a very long year, this vaccine represents hope.
Although the vaccine is not yet widely available, now is the time for employers to consider whether they will require employees to be vaccinated against COVID and, if so, develop a ...
For almost a year, COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on the world, the economy, and fundamentally altered the traditional workplace. Offices are empty. Theatres, concert venues and airports are eerily vacant. Coffee shops, restaurants and bars are either closed, don’t allow customers to dine on-site or have limited seating. Entire industries ...
By: Lee Geiger & Laura Caty
As a result of the 2020 election, four more states—Arizona, New Jersey, Montana, and South Dakota— are legalizing the recreational use of marijuana. Fifteen states and the District of Columbia now permit people to grow and consume marijuana to varying amounts. Thirty-six states and the District of Columbia have ...
Last week, the EEOC released proposed updated guidance that refreshes the agency’s view of how anti-discrimination laws guard against religious bias and clarifies legal protections afforded to religious employers.
The proposed guidance refreshes the EEOC’s religious discrimination guidance manual, last updated in 2008, to align with ...
Although they are still counting votes in some states and legal challenges loom, it appears that Joe Biden will be the next President of the United States. Regardless of your politics, all Americans are asking the same question: “What does this mean for me?”. If you work in Human Resources, it is fair to expect that there will be changes, but how ...
By: Dan Burke & Laura Caty
This week, the Department of Labor (DOL) issued a new opinion letter addressing whether the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires employers to pay employees who attend ongoing continuing education (CEU’s) during normal work hours. The opinion letter hones in on the voluntary aspect of certain CEU’s, as opposed ...
Who’s tired of 2020? Me! Me! Me! COVID gave us a bit of a reprieve for the summer months, but now seems to be back with a vengeance. New cases are higher than ever across the world. Parts of Europe are shutting down again. US cases and hospitalizations keep going up. You don’t have to read the news to know that cases are increasing … just ask any ...
A New York federal judge struck down part of the Department of Labor’s (“DOL”) “Final Rule” regarding so-called “joint employers” under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”). If upheld and applied outside of New York, this ruling will expand the number of employers that have potential liability under the FLSA for minimum wage ...