Labor & Employment Law Update

Florida: After much debate in the lower courts, it is settled – employers may not discriminate against pregnant workers in FLA (you couldn’t before under Federal law, but FLA confirms the same).

Iowa:  If you have to notify at least 500 state residents including your employees and applicants of any potential personal information security breach, you must also notify the Iowa Attorney General’s Office of the same.

Maryland: Do you have between 15 – 49 employees?  If so, beginning October 1, 2014, you must provide similar FMLA leave of up to 6 unpaid weeks for parental ...

Earlier this month, the Department of Labor (DOL) issued proposed regulations revising the COBRA notice requirements to align with the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and make clear to workers that if they are eligible for COBRA, they have the option to choose to purchase coverage on the exchange instead. The DOL also issued two new model COBRA notices to help employers comply with the revised notice requirements.

The updated Model General COBRA Notice is similar to the previous model notice, but includes a new page of instructions for administrators, as well as additional information ...

If you are an employer, the latest rash of formal agreements between the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and various government agencies (local, state and national) warrants some real attention.

Last week, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), announced that it will start advising employees who fail to timely file whistleblower retaliation complaints under OSHA that they may still have time to seek relief under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA).  While Section 11(c) of the OSH Act only allows 30 days for an employee to ...

The internet can be an excellent resource, but it can also be a very dangerous resource. Recently, the EEOC issued an advisory letter addressing a sample ADA policy and sample forms for responding to an accommodation request that were posted on a state agency’s website. Although the sample policy and forms were posted by a state agency, the EEOC advisory letter identified several parts of the sample policy and forms that would be considered as violating the ADA.

The EEOC advisory letter specifically states that setting absolutes in how circumstances are addressed in an ...

A federal court in Indiana ruled recently that a GE manufacturing employee could present her ADA claims to a jury despite concern that accommodating her disability posed a safety risk. Cindy English’s permanent restrictions prevent her from reaching above her head. She was awarded a repair operator position based on seniority but GE’s medical staff concluded her restrictions prevented her from performing the job.

English suggested she could perform the job if she used a stool. GE considered allowing English to demonstrate whether she could perform the job using the ...

The IRS released Notice 2014-19 earlier this month, answering many of the open questions on the application of the Supreme Court’s decision in U.S. v. Windsor to qualified retirement plans.  Although the IRS provided initial guidance on the impact on employee benefit plans shortly after the Court found the Defense of Marriage Act’s (DOMA) ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional, many details specific to retirement plans were still outstanding.

Effective Date and Retroactivity

The recent release reaffirms that qualified retirement plans are required to recognize ...

Federal:   The OFCCP has published the data for federal contractors and subcontractors who must now comply with having protected veteran benchmarks for their affirmative action plans and hiring goals.  Currently, that nationwide threshold is 7.2% unless the contractor wants to create its own individualized benchmarks, to which that state specific veteran data is supplied. 

That is not all.  Contractors are now required to also request individuals to self-identify if they are an individual with a disability pre-offer stage.  Again, the OFCCP has given us guidance on how to do ...

This should be an easy one to cross off your to-do list.  Dust off the confidentiality and non-disclosure language that you require your non-supervisory employees to adhere to – whether through a specific agreement, employee handbook or general company policy.  Last week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit served up a reminder that what used to be considered standard language regarding an employer’s expectation of confidentiality, now opens the door to potential liability under federal labor law, for both union and non-union employers.

In Flex Frac ...

On March 25, 2014, the Supreme Court in United States v. Quality Stores, U.S., No. 12-1408, 2014 WL 11168968, 3/25/14) overturned the Sixth Circuit and unanimously held severance payments made to terminated workers were subject to payroll taxes including the Federal Insurance Contributions because the payments constituted “wages” and were in connection to services employees provided to the employer.

The defendant, Quality Stores, had made severance payments to employees who were voluntarily terminated prior to a Chapter 11 bankruptcy.  Quality Stores paid and ...

On March 6, the EEOC issued guidance on Title VII’s application to the issue of religious garb and grooming in the workplace. The guidance does not create any new obligations for employers. Rather, it illustrates the complex nature of accommodating religious beliefs and practices, and provides insight into how the EEOC views employers’ legal responsibilities with respect to religious garb and grooming under Title VII. It also indicates this will be an area of increased EEOC enforcement in coming years.

Title VII protects all aspects of religious observance, practice, and ...