The Library

This is the third installment of a series of year-end alerts to employers. This alert is of particular interest to federal government contractors. Part 1: OSHA Reporting Rules Effective December 1, 2016 Part 2: Paycheck Transparency Rules Effective January 1, 2017 Part 4: Confidentiality Rules Under Fire – Be Warned! The Department of Labor (DOL) on September 30, 2016 issued new final rules spelling out the requirement for covered federal contractors to provide employees with up to seven days (56 hours) of paid sick leave per year.[1] Employees who are covered under this new Rule are “any person[s]” engaged in […]

This is the second installment of a series of year-end alerts to employers. This alert is of particular interest to federal government contractors. Part 1: OSHA Reporting Rules Effective December 1, 2016 Part 3: Paid Sick Leave for Federal Contractors Effective January 1, 2017 Part 4: Confidentiality Rules Under Fire – Be Warned! On October 24, 2016, a Texas federal judge issued a nationwide injunction prohibiting the enforcement of certain portions of Fair Pay and Safe Workplace Rules.[1] These Rules would have required employers to disclose alleged but not fully adjudicated labor violations when bidding for contracting work. The judge […]

This is the first installment of a series of year-end alerts for employers. This alert focuses on OSHA reporting rule changes. Part 2: Paycheck Transparency Rules Effective January 1, 2017 Part 3: Paid Sick Leave for Federal Contractors Effective January 1, 2017 Part 4: Confidentiality Rules Under Fire – Be Warned! A rash of lawsuits filed this fall challenged a number of new federal requirements imposed by the outgoing Obama Administration. Some of these court challenges have been successful, e.g., recent injunctions prohibiting enforcement of the new overtime regulations, and the new “persuader” rules. This Alert is the first of […]

So, what do your brewery, Facebook, and Google have in common? With Google and Facebook’s progressive offices there is probably some connection involving beer pong, but beyond that, intellectual property (“IP”) is a significant asset of each. Brewery owners will spend countless hours and dollars investing in producing the best beer and marketing to build brand recognition, but will overlook protecting that intellectual property they spent so much effort building. Admittedly, Facebook and Google [and Anheuser-Busch and MillerCoors] are huge companies with in-house attorneys and legal budgets devoted to obtaining, licensing, and policing their intellectual property, which just doesn’t make […]

Did you know that almost 1/3 of the approximately 90,000 charges filed with the EEOC in fiscal year 2015 included an allegation of unlawful “harassment” in the workplace? Moreover, according to the EEOC’s latest research, 3 out of 4 persons who experience “harassment” at work never report it to anyone either internally (e.g., HR or a supervisor) or externally (e.g., EEOC charge). Simply stated, workplace harassment continues to be a significant problem. Mindful of this problem, the EEOC convened a diverse and experienced Task Force to investigate, and to offer analysis and solutions. In June 2016, the EEOC Task Force […]