Helping Employers in Employment Law Matters and Labor Relations
Background: Federal drug policy has lagged behind many states in recent years, with 38 states having already legalized medical marijuana and 24 legalizing its recreational use. The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has continued to classify marijuana as a Schedule I … Read More
As many of you know, my life’s dream is to wake up to Rosie the Robot from the Jetson’s cartoon wheeling around my house, dusting and cleaning. Sadly, that 1960s idea of technology is not how we live today. Artificial … Read More
Yesterday, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) voted 3-2 to ban new noncompetes with all workers. Let’s break it down: WHAT HAPPENED: The FTC had proposed a rule in January of 2023 generally banning the use of noncompete agreements with workers. … Read More
Quick work here by Greg Paal, one of our sharp eyed lawyers: When is a negative change to an employee’s working conditions enough to justify a discrimination lawsuit? On Wednesday, April 17, 2024, the US Supreme Court declared in a … Read More
When I am asked what it is like practicing Employment Law, I have a ready answer: Never a dull moment. Everyday brings new issues! So it is with a recent uptick in questions about employee objections based on a religious … Read More
Even before the Equal Pay Act of 1963 (yes over 60 years ago!), the struggle for pay equity has been a long, slow process. More recently, pay transparency and salary inquiry restrictions have been employed as a tool in this … Read More
To avoid paying overtime, we have seen a few strategies over the years. The most popular technique is just paying an hourly employee a salary–voila! Doesn’t that make the position exempt from OT? (No) Another trick is a fancy title … Read More
Among other lifestyle friendly practices, France has enshrined the right to not have fun at work. Swedes enjoy fika at work–a leisurely coffee break where workers gather each day, often codified in company policy or contracts. Of course the European … Read More
An employee is belligerent at work and smells of alcohol. Or an employee is chronically absent from work and the note they provide is from a rehab facility. Maybe an employee comes back from lunch with red eyes and a … Read More
In a land where we have National Donut Day, why not proclaim March as the time to work on wage and hour compliance? Because whether you do it now or later, the state and federal government are all stick and … Read More
An estimated 3.8 million workers were victims of non-fatal workplace violence in 2022. The same Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) study reported a 50% increase in workplace violence since 2019. What the heck is going on? We are seeing more … Read More