Labor & Employment Law Update for Business Owners, HR & In-House Counsel | Amundsen Davis Attorneys: Amundsen Davis

National State Employment Law Update

Kevin Kleine — Fri, 08 May 2026 09:00:01 -0400

Several changes impacting employers in jurisdictions across the nation are summarized in our latest blog post.

Are Your Federal Construction Projects Now Subject to the Illinois Prevailing Wage? What Contractors Must Know

Jeffrey A. Risch, Blake Stark — Wed, 06 May 2026 09:00:02 -0400

Federal and state prevailing wage mandates are colliding on construction projects in Illinois, exposing owners, developers, and contractors to conflicting compliance obligations and increased project costs. With the enactment of Illinois HB 1189, projects that long fell exclusively under the federal prevailing wage law (Davis-Bacon) may now also be subject to the state’s prevailing wage law mandates.

While the Illinois Department of Labor (IDOL) has issued guidance for contractors, there is little clarity on how to reconcile fundamental and incompatible differences between state and federal prevailing wage laws. Contractors operating in this environment must understand where these mandates conflict and take deliberate steps to protect pricing, performance, and profitability.

GLP‑1s, Direct‑to‑Consumer Pricing, and the HRA Opportunity Most Employers Are Missing

Rebecca Bush — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 09:00:03 -0400

If your company offers health benefits, someone has probably asked about GLP‑1 coverage in the last six months. The drugs work, employees want access, and the sticker price through traditional pharmacy channels can run north of $1,000 per month per employee. Direct‑to‑consumer platforms like TrumpRx.gov, Hims, Lilly Direct, and NovoCare now offer the same medications between $149 and $449 per month, cash pay. The obvious question: can we reimburse employees through an HRA for purchases made through these channels?

DOL Issues Proposed Rule on Joint Employer Status Under FLSA and FMLA

Aaron J. Graf — Wed, 29 Apr 2026 09:00:04 -0400

On April 22, 2026, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued a proposed rule that would set a single standard for joint employer status under the FLSA, FMLA, and the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act (“MSPA”). The proposed rule would offer clarity for employers around when multiple employers are jointly responsible for protecting employee wages and other rights.

OSHA Revises Heat Enforcement Program, Signaling Continued Enforcement Instead of a Federal Heat Rule

Matthew Horn, Jeffrey A. Risch — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 09:00:05 -0400

The U.S. Department of Labor has revised OSHA’s National Emphasis Program (NEP) on outdoor and indoor heat-related hazards, signaling that OSHA will continue enforcing heat safety through inspections rather than the rollout of a new federal heat standard.

The updated NEP, which takes effect immediately and continues through April 10, 2031, refines how OSHA targets employers for heat-related inspections when the heat index is expected to be 80 degrees or higher.

Federal Court Draws the Line on PIPS After Muldrow: A Win for Employers in Walsh v. HNTB

Joey K. Wright — Thu, 23 Apr 2026 09:00:06 -0400

In the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2024 Muldrow v. City of St. Louis decision, the Court expanded the legal standard for what qualifies as an “adverse employment action” by pivoting from asking whether a change to an employee’s terms or conditions of employment was “material” to whether the change left the employee worse off in those terms or conditions. Unsurprisingly, employers saw a surge of challenges to everyday management decisions in the immediate aftermath.

The First Circuit’s recent decision in Walsh v. HNTB Corp., however, offers an important clarification that should hopefully serve as a blueprint for other courts dealing with this influx of questionable lawsuits.

The Costs of Form I-9 Mistakes Just Went Up Drastically for Employers

Sara Zorich — Tue, 21 Apr 2026 09:00:07 -0400

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) recently posted a new factsheet making significant changes to Form I-9 inspections and which “mistakes” are correctable under the Immigration and Nationality Act § 274A (“Immigration Act”). ICE reclassified many Form I-9 errors from “technical” to “substantive.” The impact is that clerical mistakes that employers formerly could correct during a Form I-9 audit are no longer correctable and instead are subject to immediate fines during a Form I-9 audit.

Register Now - Amundsen Davis Supervisor and Management Training Series

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 09:00:08 -0400

Cultivate a thriving culture and drive your business to new heights by transforming your managers into dynamic leaders. Amundsen Davis's Supervisor and Management Training Series is perfectly crafted for ambitious mid to senior-level managers from any sector to thrive.

Why U.S. Employment Law Is So Frustrating—and What Employers Can Do About It

Aaron J. Graf — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 09:00:09 -0400

If U.S. employment laws feel impossible to keep up with, you’re not imagining things. Between federal, state, and local laws and shifting agency guidance, even well-intentioned employers can find themselves in violation of labor and employment laws without realizing it.

You probably can’t fix the system, but you can protect your business from unnecessary risk and expense. The key is investing in prevention, empowering the right people, and acting decisively before small issues escalate.

Balancing Beliefs and Business: What Employers Need to Know About Religious Accommodations in the Workplace

Joey K. Wright — Sat, 04 Apr 2026 09:00:10 -0400

As modern workplaces grow increasingly diverse, employers must be prepared to accommodate employees’ religious practices and observations in a respectful, inclusive, and lawful manner.