Seventh Circuit Holds a Multi-Month Leave is Not a Reasonable Accommodation

Last week the Seventh Circuit dealt a blow to the EEOC's continued position that medical leave is a reasonable accommodation when the leave is (1) of a definite, time-limited duration; (2) re-quested in advance; and (3) likely to enable the employee to perform the essential job functions upon return. The panel rejected that position, noting it glossed over the length of the requested leave, improperly transforming the ADA into "an open-ended extension of the FMLA." More ›

Wisconsin Court of Appeals Green Lights Right-to-Work Law

On Tuesday, the Wisconsin Court of Appeals lifted an injunction entered by the lower court freezing enforcement of 2015 Wisconsin Act 1, Wisconsin’s “Right-to-Work” law, dealing a blow to unions across the state. More ›

New York Paid Family Leave: Tax Implications and Guidance

The New York State Department of Taxation and Finance (“Department”) recently released its guidance on the tax implications of the New York Paid Family Leave Benefits (“PLF”) law for New York employees, employers, and insurance carriers. Effective January 1, 2018, PFL will provide eligible employees with up to 8 weeks of pay for a leave of absence when the leave is necessary to care for a family member’s serious health condition, care for or bond with a new child, or to help with family responsibilities when the employee’s spouse, domestic partner, child or parent is called to active military duty. The weeks available for paid leave will increase each year until 2021, with ten weeks available 2019-2020 and twelve in 2021 and subsequent years. More ›

EEOC Sues Illinois Employer for Refusing to Provide Disabled Employee Additional Leave

You have complied with the Family Medical Leave Act by allowing an employee with a serious medical condition 12 weeks of leave. You even provided a few additional weeks even though he has exhausted all available leave. When the employee asks for three more weeks, and you think to yourself “the company has met its legal obligations and can terminate, right?” Wrong—according to the EEOC. More ›

Obama Administration’s Overtime Rule Invalidated

A federal judge from Texas struck down the Obama administration’s overtime rule, finding the salary-level test set forth by the Department of Labor did not account for an analysis of an employee’s job duties for purposes of determining whether an employee is exempt from overtime pay.  A copy of the court's opinion is available here. More ›

Employee's Emotional Distress Claim Not Pre-empted but Not Actionable Emotional Distress Either

The United States Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit recently addressed whether common law tort claims arising during the employment relationship are pre-empted by the Illinois Human Rights Act simply because they share similar fact patterns to claims of discrimination or harassment in Richards v. U.S. Steel. The answer is no. More ›

Employer Alert: EEO-1 Pay Data Collection on Hold

On Tuesday, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a stay of the EEOC's collection of information on pay data on EEO-1 reports.  More ›

EEOC Ordered to Reconsider What “Voluntary” Means for its Wellness Program Guidance

The long-running efforts of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to provide guidance on what constitutes a “voluntary” wellness program were called into question by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, in the case A.A.R.P. vs. U.S. E.E.O.C. More ›

San Francisco Ordinance Prohibits Employer Salary History Inquiries

Beginning July 1, 2018, it will be illegal for San Francisco employers to ask job applicants to disclose their salary history. A number of similar laws have been enacted in cities and states across the country to address the gender and minority pay gaps. More ›

Department of Labor Seeks Delay of Fiduciary Rule Implementation Until July 2019

The U.S. Department of Labor has moved to delay implementation of three exemptions of the “fiduciary rule” until July 2019. The regulation, which partially went into effect earlier this year, requires financial advisers to put retirees’ interests ahead of their own when providing investment advice regarding the customers’ retirement accounts. The provisions impacted by the delay include what is known as the “best interest contract” exemption, a requirement mandating advisers and financial institutions sign contracts agreeing to put their clients’ interests ahead of their own before servicing such clients. The best interest contract exemption would also allow investors to bring class-action lawsuits against advisers and financial firms.  The Department of Labor has sought to postpone implementation of the principal transactions exemption and amendments to the prohibited transaction exemption 84-24 as well. The exemptions were originally set to take effect January 1, 2018. More ›