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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…
Category Archives: Employment Representation
Understanding DOL’s Remote Work Hours Guidance
As the necessity for teleworking continues due to COVID-19, employers and employees are still grappling with the changes brought about by a significant increase in teleworking. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division recently published guidance regarding timekeeping while teleworking. While acknowledging employers’ legal obligations for recordkeeping and reporting, the DOL also places…
Supreme Court Denies Review of Salary History Defense in Pay Equity
The U.S. Supreme Court recently declined to consider a case that would have addressed the validity of a common defense used by employers to justify pay discrepancies between male and female employees in the same job. In Yovino v. Rizo, a math consultant sued her employer under the Equal Pay Act (“EPA”) after she learned…
Supreme Court Grants DACA Recipients Temporary Reprieve
The Supreme Court blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to dismantle the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, giving DACA participants some reprieve from the threat of deportation. The DACA program, first implemented by the Obama administration in 2012, granted renewable permits to study and remain in the United States for some undocumented immigrants who…
U.S. Supreme Court Expands LGBTQ Worker Protections Nationwide
On Monday, June 15, the Supreme Court ruled in a 6-to-3 vote that existing federal law, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, prohibits employment discrimination based on sexual orientation or transgender status. This decision, Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia, establishes discrimination protections for LGBTQ workers across the country, instituting new protections for…
Women Stand Up Against Cleveland Fire Department Job Discrimination
Cleveland’s written and physical tests for firefighter jobs discriminate against women, found the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, based upon charges filed by Levy Ratner’s Dana Lossia and Rebekah Cook-Mack, along with our co-counsel at Nichols Kaster, PLLP. Our clients are women who were unfairly disqualified in the testing process and are demanding fair hiring…
NY New Law Makes Sexual Harassment & Discrimination Claims Easier
In June, the New York State legislature significantly lowered the legal bar for employees to sue their employers if they have been subjected to sexual harassment or other forms of workplace discrimination. Previously, New York State law tracked federal law when it came to the standard for showing unlawful discrimination. Under Federal law, employees must…
New York City Lactation Room Laws Go Into Effect
On March 18, 2019, new laws went into effect in New York City requiring lactation rooms in certain City spaces, requiring employers to provide lactation rooms, and requiring employers to implement a lactation room accommodation policy. Employers in New York City must now provide a lactation room that is within a reasonable proximity to employees’…