General

During a recent webinar, the EEOC revealed the following information: Since April 2020, 30% of all COVID-related EEOC charges involved a vaccine dispute, but only around 11% of charges related to ADA claims, meaning that many COVID-related charges stem from religious accommodation requests or related discrimination allegations. The EEOC reaffirmed that confirmed an employer may […]

The DOL is expected to increase the salary threshold for various overtime exemptions under the Fair Labor Standards Act. The proposal could be issued as early as this month. The current minimum salary amount for an exemption is $684/week. Study on Office Re-openings As reported by the New York Times, only 8% of Manhattan employees

On April 21, 2022, the California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board voted to adopt the proposed revisions to the current COVID emergency temporary standards (ETS). Updates include exposure to close contacts without symptons, regardless of vaccination status, do not have to quarantine if they get tested 3-5 days after exposure and wear a mask

Washington’s Equal Pay and Opportunities Act has been amended to require employers with 15 or more employees to disclose the wage scale or salary range in job postings, along with a general description of “all of the benefits or other compensation to be offered to the hired applicant.” Maine Now Requires Unused Vacation Payment At

IL Governor J.B. Pritzker is expected to sign a bill into law that creates a definition of “race” under the Illinois Human Rights Act to include “traits associated with race, including, but not limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles such as braids, locks, and twists.” The law is known as the CROWN (Create a

The EEOC announced on Thursday that it will promote greater equity and inclusion for members of the LGBTQI+ community by giving individuals the option to select a nonbinary “X” gender marker during the voluntary self-identification questions that are part of the intake process for filing a charge of discrimination. SCOTUS Rules on Courts Right to

The updated EEO-1 Component 1 reporting procedures for third-party human resource organizations which include Professional Employer Organizations (PEOs) were to go immediately into effect. Per the EEOC, “in response to NAPEO’s concerns regarding additional time for PEOs and their client employers to comply with the updated procedures for third-party human resource organizations, please be advised

On March 18, 2022, the Department published a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM), Updating the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts Regulations in the Federal Register.  Publication of the NPRM in the Federal Register begins the comment period that will be open for 60 days and closes on May 17, 2022. DHS To End COVID 19 Temporary

On March 1, 2022, the EEOC updated its Q&A to confirm that: When making request for religious objection to receiving a COVID injection, employees do not need to use any “magic words,” such as “religious accommodation” or “Title VII.”  However, they need to explain the conflict and the religious basis for it. As a best

On February 7, 2022, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bipartisan bill (“Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act of 2021”), which would prohibit “mandatory arbitration” in sexual assault and harassment cases arising or accruing on or after the date of enactment.  This bill also invalidates joint, class, or collective action