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Employment Law

No matter how small, you’re probably covered by FLSA

04/01/2021
The Department of Labor has for decades held that the Fair Labor Standards Act covers all employers that send mail that crosses state lines or make phone calls to out-of-state numbers. Now a federal appeals court has made it clear that even an occasional phone counts.

It’s time to scrap pay-secrecy policies

04/01/2021
Traditionally, employers have tried to keep a lid on compensation-related discord by asking employees not to discuss pay. To some extent, that’s just the way it’s always been. But today, no-talk-about-pay rules are under legal assault, challenged for violating the law and helping perpetuate income inequality.

Shootings shine spotlight on anti-AAPI bias

04/01/2021
Mass murders last month at Atlanta-area massage parlors highlighted the growing threat of violence against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. The EEOC quickly issued a statement condemning the violence—and foreshadowing greater enforcement against those who harass members of the AAPI community.

Organized labor in flux: Dems soon to gain NLRB majority

03/30/2021
Democrats will soon gain a 3-2 majority on the National Labor Relations Board, according to employment lawyer Michael Lotito, who on March 25 briefed participants at the 17th annual Labor and Employment Advanced Practices Symposium.

Most managers still don’t understand FMLA basics

03/25/2021
Less than half (46%) of managers can name the benefits that the FMLA provides and even fewer (42%) know how long employees can be absent on FMLA leave, according to a test given to 435 managers by ClaimVantage.

Now is the time to get in front of the coming pay-equity wave

03/25/2021
Closing the wage gap between women and men is emerging as one of today’s most pressing workplace challenges. Smart employers are planning for a post-pandemic future in which there is greater wage parity between women and men.

Walsh confirmed as Biden’s Secretary of Labor

03/25/2021
Marty Walsh has been confirmed to become the nation’s 29th Secretary of Labor, bringing a staunchly pro-worker perspective to a Department of Labor that faces big issues in coming months.

What managers need to know about the FMLA

03/25/2021
The law allows qualified employees to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave each year for the birth or adoption of a child, to care for their own “serious” health condition or to care for an immediate family member who has a serious condition.

Snapshot: Retaliation still rising as most common EEOC charge

03/23/2021
For more than 10 years, retaliation has been the most common EEOC charge, now included in more than half of all complaints filed.

EEOC cracks down on teen worker harassment

03/23/2021
Many teenagers find their first jobs at fast-food or sit-down restaurant chains. Unfortunately, that kind of work often comes with a side of sexual harassment. The EEOC wants to stop that rite of passage.