212.627.8100
On December 17, 2020, the New York City Council voted to pass a bill protecting fast food workers from being fired or having their hours significantly reduced without a valid reason. Mayor DeBlasio is expected to sign the legislation into law. Under the bill, employers may not terminate employees or substantially reduce their hours without…
Author Archives: Levy Ratner
How Biden’s Labor Agenda Empowers Workers’ Rights and Safety
Preparing to enter office in January 2021, President-elect Joe Biden has not yet announced his choice for Secretary of Labor, but the labor agenda Biden shared throughout the presidential campaign signals that greater workplace safety enforcement, progressive labor legislation, and a more union-friendly NLRB may be on the horizon. Though many aspects of his labor…
Levy Ratner congratulates Pamela Jeffrey
Levy Ratner congratulates Pamela Jeffrey on her well-deserved induction into the Class of 2020 College of Labor and Employment Lawyers. Click here to read about Pam’s illustrious career representing unions and employees in the robust exercise of their rights in organizing, collective bargaining, strikes and picketing, litigation, arbitrations and before the NLRB.
Understanding NLRB Mail Ballot Election Guidelines
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) recently issued a decision that provides guidance for determining when a representation election should be conducted through mail ballots, rather than in-person voting, due to health and safety concerns related to COVID-19. The NLRB recognized that while “existing precedent strongly favors manual elections,” i.e. in-person, the extraordinary circumstances that…
Court Order Safeguards Florida Mail-In Ballots
On October 29, 2020, a judge for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida ordered the U.S. Postal Service to implement measures to ensure that Florida mail-in ballots are efficiently delivered and counted by Election Day on November 3. The court order came as the result of a lawsuit brought by Levy…
Are You Eligible for Paid Time Off to Vote in NY?
Election Day is quickly approaching, and many voters are having to make special considerations this year regarding how and when to cast their ballot. Employees working in New York may find some relief from the state’s newly amended Election Law, which grants some employees the right to paid time off to go vote. The amended…
NYS Sick Leave Law Now in Effect
On September 30, 2020, the New York State Sick Leave Law went into effect, requiring qualifying employees to accrue sick leave that can be used starting January 1, 2021. The sick leave will be available to use for absences related to an employee’s illness or medical needs or a covered family member’s illness or medical…
New DOL Regulations Expand Paid Leave for Healthcare Workers
On September 11, 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (DOL) announced changes to its rules concerning the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), the law that provides paid sick leave and expands family and medical leave for individuals impacted by COVID-19. The DOL changes came in response to a decision of…
It’s Just a Loan: The Trump Administration’s Payroll Tax Cut
On September 1, 2020, the Trump administration’s executive order providing the option to defer payroll taxes went into effect. This order gave employers the option to defer payroll taxes for employees who earn less than $4,000 per every two weeks or less than $104,000 per year, for the remainder of the year. Under this program,…
Health Plans Must Fully Cover COVID-19 Testing Costs in 2024
Our March 24, 2020, What You Need to Know Now examined the federal law requiring all group health plans to cover the full cost of COVID-19 testing free of charge and without any employee cost-sharing, including deductibles, copayments or coinsurance. In addition, the health plan cannot require prior authorization or impose other medical management requirements. This…