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Medical care providers have been experiencing an uptick in Fair Labor Standards Act lawsuits based on automatically deducted meal periods. Recently, a nurse filed a collective action lawsuit against St. Luke’s Health System Corporation and various affiliates, claiming that they failed to pay nurses for work performed during meal breaks. Specifically, the nurse alleges that St. Luke’s automatically deducts 30 minutes from each shift for meal periods, assuming that its nurses are able to find a 30-minute block of time to eat. The nurse further claims that, in reality, nurses remain on duty when attempting to eat, and that their meal periods are frequently interrupted. Given the potential for large liability and the likelihood of copycat lawsuits, employers—particularly medical care providers—should examine their meal period policies to ensure the policies are compliant with the Fair Labor Standards Act. Continue Reading Food for Thought—Does Your Automatic Meal Period Policy Violate the Law?

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The White House announced on Friday, September 15, 2017, that President Donald Trump has nominated Peter B. Robb to serve as the next General Counsel for the National Labor Relations Board.  Robb is a management-side labor and employment attorney, who currently practices in Vermont.  Robb previously worked as a field attorney for the NLRB, a supervisory attorney for the Federal Labor Relations Authority, and then as the Chief Counsel to former NLRB member Robert Hunter (a Republican), who was appointed to the Board in 1981 by President Reagan.  In 1985, Robb began private practice representing company management in labor and employment law.  As the General Counsel, Robb would decide which issues to put before the NLRB for resolution.  A rollback of a number of union-friendly decisions is expected. Continue Reading Trump Announces Nomination For NLRB General Counsel – What It Means For Employers

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In a move that will surprise few, the federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has “stayed” the upcoming EEO-1 compensation data reporting requirement, pending further review. As we previously wrote about here, in 2016, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) implemented a rule requiring employers with 100 or more employees (and federal contractors with 50 or more employees) to include compensation data in their annual EEO-1 reports. Covered employers were already required to file an EEO-1 report tracking race/ethnicity and sex; the stay does not impact this requirement. Continue Reading Federal Government Hits Pause on Upcoming Pay Reporting Requirement

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The days of the “one size fits all” job application may soon be coming to an end. As federal, state, and local governments increasingly heighten employer hiring process requirements, national employers must be diligent to avoid getting tripped up by the varying rules across different locations. This post will discuss three hiring requirements that are increasingly leaving companies exposed to risk.

Continue Reading Does Your Job Application Need a Check-Up? Three Costly Compliance Blunders to Avoid

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After a contentious confirmation process, on April 7, 2017, the Senate confirmed Tenth Circuit Judge Neil Gorsuch to fill the Supreme Court seat that has been vacant since the death of Justice Antonin Scalia in February 2016. On April 10, 2017, Gorsuch, a former clerk of current Justice Anthony Kennedy, was sworn in by Kennedy. Now that Gorsuch has taken his oath, he is ready to participate in the Supreme Court’s next round of oral arguments, which are set to begin on April 17. Continue Reading Neil Gorsuch Fills Vacant Supreme Court Seat

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Last Tuesday, in Hively v. Ivy Tech Community College, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals (with jurisdiction over the courts in Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin) became the first federal circuit to explicitly rule that sexual orientation is covered by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In so doing, the Seventh Circuit created a split with every other court of appeals that has addressed the issue to date, thereby teeing the issue up for a possible showdown in the US Supreme Court.

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Before taking office, President Trump vowed to revoke “all illegal and overreaching executive orders.” On March 27, he made good on that vow when he revoked former President Obama’s Executive Order 13673, the Fair Pay & Safe Workplaces rule (“EO”), known by many as the “Blacklisting EO”. Continue Reading Obama’s “Blacklisting” Executive Order Is DOA

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After the NLRB’s aggressive pro-union stance during President Obama’s term, the Board is poised for change under President Trump. On January 23, 2017, President Trump named Philip A. Miscimarra—the sole Republican of three current Board Members—Acting Chairman of the Board. Further, as the Board traditionally has five Members, President Trump will nominate two Members to fill the current vacancies. Assuming President Trump nominates two Republicans as expected, the Board will have a Republican majority for the first time in over nine years. Although it is unclear how far the Board will shift from its recent pro-union stance, three key decisions could be overturned by a Republican-controlled Board. Continue Reading Is a More Business-Friendly NLRB Coming? What it Could Mean for Employers

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In recent weeks, the developing landscape on immigration enforcement has dominated the media. In a quick refresh of an internet page, headlines alert us to new reports of potential immigration crackdowns, increases in deportations, confusion at ports of entry, legal challenges to the Executive Orders issued last month, and additional Executive Orders to potentially follow. On February 20, 2017, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary John Kelly issued two Memoranda (“Implementing the President’s Border Security and Immigration Enforcement Improvement Policies” and “Enforcement of the Immigration Laws to Serve the National Interest”) that outline how DHS plans to implement the Executive Orders on border security and interior immigration enforcement signed by President Trump on January 25, 2017. While the DHS Memoranda (or guidelines) do not speak directly to the integrity of foreign worker visa programs, they may prove a harbinger to US multinational employers of aggressive enforcement directives that may underpin the business-related aspects of the current administration’s overarching immigration policy.

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But wait there’s more. While President Trump’s Executive Order temporarily banning certain foreign nationals from entry into the United States is dominating the headlines these days, employers now have something else to worry about. Under a 2015 law, Section 7345 of the Internal Revenue Code, the State Department has the right to revoke a US citizen’s passport for nonpayment of delinquent Federal taxes. The Internal Revenue Service recently posted guidance on its website to provide an understanding of how the law may apply in practice. In general, if the IRS assesses a taxpayer for unpaid federal US taxes, and the taxpayer does not take steps to address the problem, the State Department may revoke, deny or limit that person’s passport. Just imagine the administrative headache and threat to the business if the employee is on assignment to a foreign country when the revocation occurs, or travels frequently to other countries on business, or is planning to take an overseas posting in the near future. Employers beware!

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