New England Biz Law Update

The U.S. Supreme Court nixed a claim by pharmaceutical representatives seeking overtime pay, ruling that such workers are “outside salespeople” and not employees under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Tagged with: July 16 2012 issue

A recent 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision has cast doubt on a tool that is increasingly being used by employers to go after employees who use confidential information from company computer systems.

Tagged with: June 30 2012 issue

The last oral argument of the U.S. Supreme Court’s term was an explosive one, as the justices considered whether SB 1070, the controversial Arizona immigration statute, is preempted by federal law.

Tagged with: May 31 2012 issue

New rules simplifying and speeding up the process for union organizing elections went into effect on April 30. The rules establish pre-election hearings to determine whether there is a “question of representation” to be resolved by an election, rather than ...

Tagged with: May 31 2012 issue

The Department of Labor has launched an effort to increase enforcement actions by its Employee Benefits Security Administration, the agency in charge of administering and enforcing ERISA regulations. The agency saw a record number of enforcement actions in 2011. It ...

Tagged with: May 31 2012 issue

A federal appellate court has temporarily blocked the National Labor Relations Board from implementing its controversial employer notice posting rule, which was set to go into effect April 30. The D.C. Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals issued a temporary injunction ...

Tagged with: May 31 2012 issue

The recent ruling from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission holding that transgendered workers can bring bias claims under Title VII is a “game changer” in employment discrimination law and could lead to claims under the act based on sexual orientation.

Tagged with: May 31 2012 issue

Employers and business groups won a partial victory in federal court earlier this month with a ruling that invalidated the portion of a controversial National Labor Relations Board rule that makes failure to post notice of employees’ rights under the ...

Tagged with: April 30 2012 issue

The U.S. Supreme Court will soon decide whether the costs of document translators are covered under a federal statute that requires the losing party in litigation to pay for “compensation for interpreters.”

Tagged with: March 31 2012 issue

The justices of the U.S. Supreme Court will soon decide whether the Civil Service Reform Act precludes federal workers from bringing certain constitutional claims in federal court.

Tagged with: March 31 2012 issue