Tag: Employment law

NCAA Settlement Roils College Athletics . . . and Union Organizing

A landmark $2.8 billion settlement announced by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in an antitrust class action filed by former college athletes reportedly sets a path for schools to share revenue with players. Although many of the details of the settlement haven’t been made public and the judge has yet to approve it, many […]

Ask the Expert: When Can a Former Employee See Their Personnel Files?

Question: A former employee who was fired has requested a copy of her personnel file. What documents would she be entitled to receive? Answer: Massachusetts General Laws Ch. 149, §52C outlines what constitutes a personnel file and discusses an employer’s duty to retain that file. The statute further provides a formal process for employees to […]

Case Study: Lights, Camera, Action… and Discovery Dispute

A TV host resigned because her employer didn’t respond when she complained about her cohost’s behavior. After her cohost was fired a few months later, she sued. During the pretrial fact-finding stage (discovery), the parties disagreed over what information they were required to exchange. Let’s take a look. Combustible Sydney Watson was the cohost of […]

17 State Attorney Generals Sue to Stop EEOC’s Final PWFA Regulations

On April 25, 2024, attorneys general from 17 states filed a lawsuit in federal court against the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) seeking to stop the implementation of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act’s (PWFA) final regulations, which were published on April 19, 2024. The 17 states include Tennessee, Arkansas, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, […]

Employers Take Note—Child Labor Violations Continue to Be Major DOL Focus

Earlier this year the Department of Labor’s (DOL) Wage and Hour Division (WHD) released statistics on its child labor enforcement activity for 2023. Astonishingly, WHD found an 88% increase since 2019 in the unlawful employment of minors. As we head into the summer months when many employers hire minors, companies should be mindful of the Fair Labor […]

merger

Navigating Labor and Employment Considerations in Mergers and Acquisitions

Merger and acquisition (M&A) transactions are complex endeavors involving various legal, financial, and operational considerations. Among these considerations, labor and employment law and regulations play a crucial role in ensuring a smooth transition for both employers and employees. Whether it’s an asset purchase, a stock purchase, a merger, or another form of M&A deal, understanding […]

Ask the Expert: How Can Employers Hold Employees Liable for Property Damage?

Question: We provide laptop computers to all our personnel. Many employees damage them during employment or return them with damage upon leaving employment. What are our options for recouping from employees the costs of repairing or replacing the damaged employer-owned materials? Answer: Basically, the company’s two main options for recuperating losses for damage to company […]

OFCCP Issues Guidance on AI

On April 30, 2024, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) announced the release of a new artificial intelligence (AI) landing page. Following the link, the OFCCP provides 10 FAQs following by “promising practices” on the development and use of AI by federal contractors. While the promising practices aren’t expressly required, the agency describes them […]

EEOC Issues Final Harassment Guidance

On April 29, 2024, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued its final harassment guidance, updating the previous version with Bostock, #MeToo, and remote work issues. The most controversial guidance involves broad protections of LGBTQ+ employees, especially transgender employees, which the EEOC believes is a natural extension of the Supreme Court’s Bostock decision and has already drawn the expected […]

FTC Says Noncompetes Are Over, Mostly, and Now Courts Will Decide

The general rule on noncompete clauses in many states has been unchanged for some time. Unless there’s a public policy reason to declare them void, noncompetes are generally enforceable as long as they are reasonable in time and scope and narrowly tailored to protect the employer’s legitimate business interest without imposing an undue hardship on […]