The federal government recently issued a final rule permitting third parties – including union representatives – to accompany inspectors during facility walkarounds, raising many questions and concerns for employers from both a safety and a labor perspective. Our Workplace Safety and Labor Relations Practice Groups teamed up to develop this series of FAQs to address all aspects of the new final rule and will update it as new developments occur.

Millions of additional workers will soon be eligible for overtime pay thanks to the Labor Department’s new salary threshold for certain exempt employees – which raises the rate higher than initially anticipated.

Inspiring Inclusion on International Women’s Day: 10 Ways to Empower Women in the Workplace | Workplace Law Update: 10 Essential Items on Your March To-Do List | FP SCOTUS Predictions: Supreme Court Set to Limit Labor Board’s Reach Over Employers in Surprising Way | urprise, Surprise: EEO-1 Reporting is Already Back! Your 5-Step Strategy Plan for Navigating 2024’s Deadline

Inspiring Inclusion on International Women’s Day: 10 Ways to Empower Women in the Workplace | Workplace Law Update: 10 Essential Items on Your March To-Do List | FP SCOTUS Predictions: Supreme Court Set to Limit Labor Board’s Reach Over Employers in Surprising Way | urprise, Surprise: EEO-1 Reporting is Already Back! Your 5-Step Strategy Plan for Navigating 2024’s Deadline

Today, over 60 million workers are subject to arbitration — a 55% increase since the early 2000s — yet the arbitration field remains dominated by white men. While workplaces across the country have increased their commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace, it is no surprise that there are prevalent obstacles in efforts to close the race and gender gap in the realm of arbitrator selection, specifically regarding employment-related disputes.

The City of Chicago recently amended two existing ordinances to provide greater protections for employees in the areas of bodily autonomy and criminal conviction histories. Both the Bodily Autonomy for All Ordinance and the amendments to Chicago’s “Ban the Box” Ordinance are now in effect, so Chicago employers should immediately review their hiring and employment practices and make any necessary changes to comply with the new requirements. What should you do to get in line with these significant changes?

A highly anticipated decision by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) makes it significantly harder for companies to classify their workers as independent contractors. The Board’s June 13 decision in Atlanta Opera reverts to a broader independent contractor standard that was established during the Obama administration in 2014 — which means more workers will again be considered “employees” under federal labor law. What are the top four things employers need to know about this development?

Missouri voters approved Amendment 2 on Election Day 2018, one of the three medical marijuana measures appearing on the state’s ballot. Amendment 2 adds an article to the Missouri Constitution legalizing medical use of marijuana for qualifying patients and allowing people who qualify to grow their own plants. With a new law comes new questions about how this development will affect workplaces across the state. Here are a series of the most common questions Missouri employers may have while adjusting to this new reality.

In just a few short weeks, New Jersey employers will be required to comply with the state’s new Paid Sick Leave Act. Once October 29 is upon us, New Jersey employers of all sizes will need to provide up to 40 hours of paid sick leave per year to covered employees. In advance of the impending effective date, the state Department of Labor and Workforce Development (DOL) has just published both a mandatory workplace poster and a set of sweeping regulations covering the new law—and you’ll want to familiarize yourself with both.

The Kentucky Supreme Court just outlawed mandatory arbitration agreements that require applicants or employees to sign if they want to be hired or remain employed, making the Bluegrass State the first in the nation to do so. The ruling in Northern Kentucky Area Development Dist. v. Snyder will send shockwaves through the state and cause many employers to immediately change a very common business practice—but will the decision stand? What do employers need to know about this decision and what do they need to do about it?