Those of you who watched President Obama’s State of the Union Address know he announced that he will establish by Executive Order a minimum wage of $10.10 for all federal contractors and subcontractors. A proposal backed by the White House is currently pending in Congress to raise the federal minimum wage for all employers from $7.25 to $10.10. There is strong opposition to the proposed law. The President’s anticipated Executive Order does not need Congressional approval because it will not impact all employers, just those who have federal contracts or subcontracts.
Continue Reading Updates for Federal Contractors: New Minimum Wage Coming Soon; New Required Form for Self-Identification of Disability Published by OFCCP.

Editor’s Note: Often there are important lessons learned for employers that come from seemingly unrelated cases. This post from our sister blog – Technology Law Source – highlights important e-discovery tips from Peggy Koesel and Tracey Turnbull. Even though this case is a products liability case, as Peggy and Tracey explain, the takeaways as they relate to e-discovery are universal and are very much worth sharing here.

Many people use the start of a new year to resolve to improve their diet, get more sleep and exercise more. Professional resolutions for attorneys often focus on improving efficiency, expanding networks and areas of expertise or simply submitting their time entries properly. A decision late last year in the In re Pradaxa Products Liability Litigation suggests some potential professional resolutions for litigators and in-house litigation counsel to consider when litigation arises or is reasonably anticipated.
Continue Reading Three Additions to Your New Year’s Resolutions from Pradaxa

In Deleon v. Kalamazoo Cnty. Road Comm’n, a split Sixth Circuit panel concluded that the district court improperly granted the employer summary judgment on the plaintiff’s discrimination claims despite the fact that the alleged adverse employment action was a transfer that the plaintiff had actively sought only nine months earlier.
Continue Reading Sometimes An Employer Just Can’t Win

For some, snowflakes bring thoughts of snowmen and sleigh rides. For others, they signal the beginning of closed business days, employees arriving late to work, and all sorts of other issues—all the result of inclement weather! Since many parts of the United States are currently dealing with the effects of, what-is-being-called, the “Polar Vortex,” we decided to take a look at some common headaches for employers caused by bad weather and provide you with some helpful guidance.
Continue Reading Oh the Weather Outside is Frightful! How Employers Can Handle the Impact of Inclement Weather (Polar Vortex Anyone?) and What NIOSH, OSHA, the NLRA and the FLSA Have to Say About It

Come Jan. 1, 2014, the federal minimum wage rate will remain at $7.25 per hour for non-tipped employees, and $2.13 per hour for tipped employees. As of Jan. 1, 2013, 19 states and the District of Columbia had minimum wage rates higher than the federal minimum wage rate. In 2014, not only will that number grow to 20 states, but a number will see their minimum wage rates increase further.
Continue Reading State Minimum Wage Increases for 2014

It should be old hat by now: Employers who use a third party to conduct a background check on an applicant or employee for employment purposes must comply with the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). But what many employers do not know, or may have forgotten, is that the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA) also imposes upon them some obligations when conducting a background investigation.
Continue Reading Happy Birthday to the FACTA! The Often Forgotten Law that Imposes Obligations and Provides Helpful Exceptions for Employer Background Checks and Workplace Investigations

Companies covered by federal affirmative action obligations have some major changes for which to prepare. The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) has issued two new rules which take effect March 24, 2014. The new rules expand the affirmative action requirements for covered veterans and disabled persons.

For over 30 years, regulations under the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974 (VEVRAA) and under Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 have required covered employers to engage in good faith efforts to recruit and employ covered veterans and disabled persons. The requirements include the obligation to invite applicants and employees to “self-identify” as a veteran or disabled person and to take additional affirmative action measures. Contractors with over 50 employees and covered contracts which exceeded certain trigger limits also must prepare annual written affirmative action plans (AAPs) for veterans and disabled persons. However, until now, there was no obligation for employers to develop and retain hiring and other employment data or to set numeric goals for employment of veterans or disabled persons, as is required in the affirmative action rules for minorities and females.

The new rules require employers to gather and retain data showing the results of their recruiting and hiring efforts and to set numeric targets for hiring veterans and disabled persons. The new rules also include significant additional obligations for reviewing, analyzing, and documenting good faith efforts and results.
Continue Reading Major Changes to Affirmative Action Requirements Effective March 24, 2014

The National Labor Relations Board Office of the General Counsel released an Advice Memorandum in Tasker Healthcare Group, d/b/a Skinsmart Dermatology ("Tasker") Case 04-CA-094222 on May 16, 2013 and concluded that an employee was not engaged in protected concerted activity when she posted comments to a Facebook group message that taunted her employer to "

First it was Wisconsin. Then Indiana. Then Michigan of all places. Right-to-work legislation is being considered, and in some cases passed, by legislatures throughout the Rust Belt. Given that trend, and the economic benefits to businesses and the state that follow with right-to-work, it was only a matter of time before regional pressures led the Ohio legislature to consider the idea notwithstanding the previously failed attempts on Senate Bill 5.
Continue Reading Don’t Expect Any New Right-to-Work Legislation in Ohio…Until Perhaps After 2014