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Employment Law

New coronavirus relief law affects HR’s work

03/16/2021
The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 does more than provide for $1,400 stimulus checks and expanded unemployment benefits. It reaches into the HR function, extending employer subsidies for paid time off, offering government help to pay COBRA premiums and increasing the amounts employees may shelter from taxes in dependent care accounts.

Fix common pay errors before DOL investigates

03/11/2021
Managing restaurant employees isn’t easy. And unless HR provides frequent and accurate guidance, front-line managers may be tempted to devise their own questionable methods for simplifying scheduling and paying staff. Don’t let that happen.

House passes PRO Act, labor’s favorite legislation

03/11/2021
The House of Representatives on March 9 passed the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, a bill that would override state right-to-work laws and make it easier for unions to organize.

DOL targeting employers for FMLA violations

03/11/2021
Workers who believe they were unlawfully denied FMLA leave usually head directly to federal court to file lawsuits. Unlike most federal employment laws, the FMLA doesn’t require any preliminary agency action—like filing an EEOC complaint—before litigation can begin.

HR’s next crisis: Managing the return of covid-19 ‘long-haulers’

03/09/2021
With covid-19 vaccination rates climbing and the worst of the coronavirus pandemic starting to recede, employers are becoming more optimistic that the world of work could soon return to normal. But the coast is not yet clear.

EEOC, NLRB general counsels sacked in unprecedented moves

03/09/2021
President Biden has defied tradition, firing the general counsels of both the EEOC and the National Labor Relations Board.

Snapshot: EEOC disability discrimination claims, 2000 – 2020

03/09/2021
Rising steadily since 2000, disability discrimination is now the most common EEOC bias charge.

EEOC charges drop again, employers still pay

03/09/2021
The EEOC handled 67,448 discrimination and harassment claims in Fiscal Year 2020, the fourth straight year charges have dropped.

You may have to pay reservists for training time

03/04/2021
A federal court has ruled for the first time that employers must pay military reservists for the time they spend on training duty if the employer offers paid time off for other purposes.

Religion accommodation need is early, ongoing

03/04/2021
Applicants and employees alike are entitled to reasonable accommodation of their religious needs. That obligation starts at the beginning of the hiring process and continues throughout employment. Two cases involving adherents to the Seventh Day Adventist faith demonstrate this.