Tag: McGuireWoods

NLRB May Make Significant Changes Even Without EFCA

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) celebrated the 75th anniversary of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), which created the Board. Commenting on the stalled so-called Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), Chairman Wilma Liebman noted that congressional inaction on the EFCA may contribute to the “flip-flopping” with which the Board has been accused. She also […]

Employers Face Decisions for 2010 While Health Care Reform Is Debated

Employers’ HR and benefits teams are facing the question of what to do in response to pending health care reform. Competing health care proposals are being hotly debated by Congress and the White House in Washington, D.C., and by legislators and their constituents around the country. The debate presents the full range of options, from […]

DOL to Abolish Employment Standards Administration

Like most federal agencies, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) is a large bureaucracy, housing many levels of subagencies and layers of employees with a host of titles that are unintelligible to outsiders. The DOL has recently decided to do a little streamlining by abolishing the umbrella agency that oversees four of its major units. […]

Increased Enforcement of Labor Laws a Top Priority for Obama Administration

One of the clearest indications of an administration’s priorities is the budget and the amount of funding provided to various programs. Budgets always have winners and losers and reflect the degree to which programs will be implemented. A review of President Barack Obama’s proposed budget and recent agency actions demonstrates that increased enforcement of labor […]

Obama Administration’s Changes at DOL, EEOC, and NLRB

The changes promised by the Obama administration are beginning to take hold at the federal agencies regulating the workplace. Typically, the change in leadership can be a strong predictor of the changes in policies and directions that will be pursued by a new administration. Not surprisingly, the changes that already have occurred suggest that we […]

Important Labor and Employment Decisions Pending Before the Supreme Court

The current term of the U.S. Supreme Court provides a reminder that the drafters of the U.S. Constitution deliberately created a tension between continuity of law and responsiveness to changes in the majority’s wishes. We are on the cusp of a complete change in administration, with the likelihood of substantial changes in both statutory regime […]

HEART Act Provides New Employment Benefits for Military Personnel

President George W. Bush recently signed into law the Heroes Earnings Assistance and Relief Tax (HEART) Act of 2008, which provides the following employee benefit-related advantages to eligible military personnel and their families. Keep up with the latest changes in federal employment laws and regulations with the Federal Employment Law Insider Retirement plan requirements The […]