Latest News
Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act Creates Federal Ban the Box Law for Federal Contractors
Effective December 20, 2021, federal contractors will be prohibited from inquiring-either directly or through a background screening process-into an applicant’s criminal background until after the contractor extends a conditional job offer to the applicant. The...
DOL Issues Opinion Letter Addressing Calculating OT Pay in Light of a Non-discretionary Bonus
The U.S. Department of Labor has released a new opinion letter addressing the calculation of overtime pay for a non-discretionary lump-sum bonus paid at the end of a multi-week training period. In the scenario presented, the employer informs employees in advance that...
One Small Win for McDonald’s, and One Giant Victory for Small Business Owners
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB or the Board) has ordered an administrative law judge to approve a settlement previously reached between McDonald’s, its franchisees, and workers. It appears the NLRB has restored the old rule that a joint employer...
New Minimum Wage Rates Now in Effect in 21 States
With a new year comes new minimum wage rates. As of January 1, 2020, the minimum wage increased in the following states: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New...
Burgers & Beer Settles EEOC Sex Discrimination Lawsuit For $150,000
Burgers & Beer, a Southern California food chain, has agreed to pay $150,000 to settle a sex discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The EEOC's lawsuit charged Burgers & Beer with disqualifying male applicants and...
IRS Overhauls Form W-4 for 2020 Employee Withholding
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has released the final version of the 2020 Form W-4, retitled Employee's Withholding Certificate, with major revisions designed to make accurate income-tax withholding easier for employees starting next calendar year. All new...
IRS Overhauls Form W-4 for 2020 Employee Withholding
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has released the long-awaited final version of the2020 Form W-4, retitled Employee's Withholding Certificate, with major revisions designed to make accurate income-tax withholding easier for employees starting next calendar year....
Employer Violated FMLA by Denying Employee Leave to Care for Adult Daughter
A federal court has found that an employer improperly denied an employee’s request for Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leave to care for her adult daughter.Employee requested FMLA leave to care for her 31-year-old daughter following the daughter’s...
A Checklist for Conducting Workplace Investigations
Responsiveness to an employee’s complaint about workplace concerns not only enables the employer to gather the best information, it also provides the employer with the opportunity to resolve internal problems before they become widespread. Given every complaint...
NLRB Finds Employer Non-disparagement Clause Violated the NLRA
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has issued a decision regarding the lawfulness of an employer's non-disparagement clause and the lawsuits the employer filed against employees who anonymously posted negative comments on websites. The NLRB held that the...