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Within the past year, the rights of pregnant workers have considerably increased within the workplace. The expansion started with the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (“PWFA”), which President Biden signed into law in late 2022. The PWFA took effect in June 2023. The PWFA requires that employers provide reasonable accommodations to pregnant employees. Additionally, the Consolidated …
Continue reading “A New Era of Maternity Rights: Understanding the PWFA and the PUMP Act”
With the November 7 passage of Issue 2, effective December 7, 2023, Ohioans will be able to purchase and possess up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis and grow marijuana plants in their home. Ohio is the 24th state to allow recreational marijuana. When Ohio allowed medical marijuana back in 2016, Ohio employers had to learn …
Periodically, the EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) lets us know what to watch out for. On September 21, the EEOC released its Strategic Enforcement Plan for years 2024-2028 (“SEP”), which tells us where the federal government is prioritizing its employment dollars. The EEOC has more work than it can timely handle. Thus, it prioritizes the …
Continue reading “Is Your HR Department Aware of the Latest EEOC Priorities?”
As the Supreme Court’s session was concluding, the Supreme Court issued Groff v. DeJoy, Postmaster General, No. 22-174 (June 29, 2023), an opinion that changes the employment landscape as it pertains to religious accommodations for employers and what actually constitutes an “undue hardship.” In Groff, the Supreme Court held, “Title VII [of the Civil Rights …
Continue reading “Religious Accommodation in a Post-Groff Employment Landscape”
On Tuesday, June 27, 2023, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) became law and requires covered employers to provide “reasonable accommodations” to a worker’s known limitations that are related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions, unless the accommodation would cause the employer an undue hardship. The PWFA applies to all federal and state employers …
A recent court opinion from the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals clarified an important point of law concerning the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”), specifically what “showing … is necessary for a district court to facilitate notice of an FLSA suit to employees who were not originally parties” to the lawsuit. This case, Clark v. A&L …
While employers at most educational entities, such as K-12 schools, must follow applicable federal employment laws, there are unique provisions within those employment laws and other regulations that these employers must keep in mind. Of course, many schools have collective bargaining agreements, as well as applicable state and local statutory and regulatory provisions that they …
Current economic circumstances suggest that layoffs are coming. Indeed, in late March, Disney’s CEO, Bob Iger, announced the company’s plans to terminate more than 7,000 employees in the coming weeks, and Disney is not alone.[1] If companies and HR professionals do not carefully plan group terminations, they could face long, expensive lawsuits filed by multiple …
Continue reading “Layoffs Require Careful Planning to Avoid Costly Lawsuits”
In the McLaren Macomb opinion issued last month, 372 NLRB No. 58 (2023), the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”) landed a healthy punch chipping away at what had previously been considered standard severance provisions in employment contracts because they substantially interfere with employees’ National Labor Relationship Act (“NLRA”) Section 7 rights. On March 22, 2023, …
The Texas Commission on Human Rights Act (“TCHRA”) was enacted to “provide for the execution of the policies of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and its subsequent amendments.” Tex. Lab. Code § 21.001. Accordingly, it is rare for an issue of first impression to arise in the Texas courts. However, in …