The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has released revised guidance on how state workforce agencies should deliver unemployment payments, aiming to enhance consumer protections and reduce unnecessary fees. The updated Unemployment Insurance Program Letter incorporates recent research from the Consumer ...
Read More »EEOC’s Pregnant Workers Fairness Act rule faces legal challenges
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is facing legal challenges to its recently issued final rule implementing the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. The PWFA, which passed with bipartisan support in 2022, requires covered employers to provide reasonable accommodations to pregnant employees ...
Read More »Thomson Reuters employee forum hostile to whites, suit says
A former director of data science for Thomson Reuters claims in a federal lawsuit that the information company’s internal communications channel tolerated stereotypical comments about whites while suppressing opinions questioning aspects of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. According to the ...
Read More »Wage transparency bill still pending in Mass.
Despite widespread support and optimistic predictions last fall, the Massachusetts wage transparency bill has yet to be signed into law. Separate versions passed the House and Senate with overwhelming majorities in October 2023, which means the legislation has been stalled ...
Read More »U.S. Supreme Court: Courts must hit pause when sending lawsuits to arbitration
In a unanimous decision, the U.S. Supreme Court has clarified a key procedural issue that arises when a lawsuit is sent to arbitration. The question: When a federal court determines that a case belongs in arbitration, does it have the ...
Read More »EEOC-NLRB joint memo on picket-line harassment paused
A proposed joint memorandum between the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has been put on hold due to internal disagreements and calls for public input. The memo, intended to provide guidance to employers ...
Read More »Protecting workers in the age of AI: Developments at the federal and state levels
The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) has raised concerns about its impact on workers and the workplace. Last month, the White House unveiled a set of principles designed to protect workers and ensure they have a voice in how ...
Read More »Lessons on employer protection against malicious prosecution
In a recent California Court of Appeal decision, the court shed light on the protections available to employers who report suspected criminal activity by their employees to law enforcement. Saide Lugo was employed by Pixior, LLC. According to Lugo, she ...
Read More »Business groups file lawsuit to block DOL’s new overtime rule
Over a dozen business associations have filed a federal lawsuit seeking to overturn the Department of Labor’s recently announced rule that would significantly raise the salary thresholds for classifying workers as exempt from overtime pay under the Fair Labor Standards ...
Read More »Senators introduce Warehouse Worker Protection Act to improve safety and transparency
Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), and Bob Casey (D-Pa.) have introduced the Warehouse Worker Protection Act, which aims to protect warehouse workers from unsafe work speed quotas and increase transparency around quota policies. If passed, the legislation ...
Read More »