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With the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine obtaining full FDA approval and President Biden’s sweeping announcement that he will be requiring federal employees, employers with over 100 employees, and many others to require vaccines or frequent testing, there has been a steady rise in the number of employers requiring their employees to obtain a COVID-19 vaccine as …
Continue reading “What Employers Can Do Regarding Fake Vaccine Cards so They Have “No Ragrets””
It all began when the Union Pacific Railroad told employee Perry Hopman, a combat veteran, on two separate occasions that he could not allow his service dog – a 125-pound Rottweiler named Atlas – to accompany him to work to help him with his PTSD. Hopman received his diagnosis after an 18-month tour of duty …
The U.S. Bankruptcy Code (the “Code”) § 11 U.S.C. § 362(a)(1) provides that when a party files for bankruptcy, an automatic stay is triggered. However, it turns out that there are limitations to the type of cases that these automatic stays extends, and in the employment context, this may not necessarily include wage and hour …
The American Rescue Plan (ARP) provides $1.9 trillion dollars in economic stimulus for individuals, certain companies, and municipalities. This blog focuses specifically on what the ARP means for employers. First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) As of January 1, 2021, employers who were originally covered under the FFCRA (employers with fewer than 500 employees) were no …
Continue reading “What the American Rescue Plan Means for Employers”
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has signed the employer-friendly Employment Law Uniformity Act (HB 352) (the Act) into law. The law, which will go into effect on April 12, 2021, will apply to all future discrimination claims filed on or after that date. It will align Ohio’s discrimination law with the federal standards and other state …
Continue reading “Ohio’s Employment Law Just Got a Huge Employer-Friendly Facelift”
Given the huge uptick in telemedicine as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Labor (DOL) issued guidance (Field Assistance Bulletin No. 2020-8) that makes it clear to employers that an employee’s telehealth visit to a provider can be used to support the employee’s need for FMLA leave. The guidance comes on six …
There were rumors that with the new stimulus deal that Congress would extend FFCRA leave, but that turned out to be fake news. Upon reviewing House Speaker Pelosi’s press release discussing the stimulus deal it became clear that no, the FFCRA would not be extended to provide employees guaranteed paid leave benefits for COVID-19 qualifying …
With the roll-out of the COVID-19 vaccine for mass consumption, we hypothesized in our piece titled “Can Employers Make Employees Get the COVID-19 Vaccine,” that employers would be able to require employees to get the vaccine subject to limited restrictions. We further noted that our guess was based on the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission’s (EEOC) …
With two COVID-19 vaccines set to receive federal approval in the United States in the upcoming weeks, the next question is whether employers can make employees receive the vaccine. The short answer is…yes. And while the typical lawyer answer to any question is “it depends,” that concise “yes” does come with a few caveats. So, …
Continue reading “Can Employers Make Employees Get the COVID-19 Vaccine?”
Over the years, there has been a lot of news stories about people traveling (or seeking to travel) with interesting animals. There was the incident involving a “beloved pet hamster” that was flushed down a toilet after Sprit Airlines refused to let a passenger bring the pet on a flight as an emotional support animal. …
Continue reading “Airlines to Soon Ban Emotional Support Animals on Flights”