Updates for Employers on Important Workplace Issues
On August 1, 2019, the United States Senate voted to confirm Attorney Sharon Gustafson as the General Counsel of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) and Obama-era appointee Charlotte Burrows to another four-year term on the Commission. General Counsel Gustafson was sworn into her position today (August 8, 2019).
EEOC Confirms New General Counsel
The…
A year ago, the California Supreme Court’s Dynamex ruling complicated the classification of workers as independent contractors. Employers are still trying to determine how the decision affects them, especially as the decision did not address whether it applied retroactively.
In April 2018, the California Supreme Court ordered courts to apply the strict “ABC test” to…
Last month, Governor Ned Lamont signed into law Public Act 19-16 (and certain amendments to that Act contained in Public Act 19-93), widely referred to as the “Time’s Up Act.” The Act (and subsequent amendments) makes substantial changes to Connecticut’s harassment and discrimination laws, which will mostly take effect on October 1, 2019.
Changes To…
While the rest of the country was celebrating with fireworks, last week California celebrated the Fourth of July with Governor Newsom signing the CROWN Act (Creating a Respectful and Open Workplace For Natural Hair) into law. It had already passed unanimously in the California Assembly and Senate. The Act prohibits the enforcement of dress codes…
At the close of its 2019 session, the New York General Assembly passed substantial changes to the state’s anti-harassment and discrimination laws, which Governor Andrew Cuomo has indicated that he will sign into law. The new law applies to all protected classes under NY law.
The changes to the New York anti-harassment and discrimination laws…
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously this week that in certain cases federal courts may hear discrimination claims under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act even if the claims were not brought first to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission or a state administrative agency.
Added Allegations
Employees still generally must bring Title VII discrimination…
Last Friday, the Connecticut Senate voted to approve House Bill 5004 titled “An Act Increasing The Minimum Wage”, which was approved by the Connecticut House of Representatives. As the title suggests, this bill would increase the minimum wage to $15 by year 2023. However, there are several other important changes. It is expected…
Democratic leaders are at it again, pushing a bill that would topple the United States Supreme Court 2018 decision in Epic Systems v. Lewis. In effect, the proposed bill would bar employers from requiring class action waivers and mandatory arbitration, thus allow workers to bring employment claims as a group as well as bring…
On May 3, 2019, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) announced that it would collect EEO-1 Component 2 pay data from required EEO-1 filers (“Filers”) for the calendar years 2017 and 2018 by September 30, 2019.
This announcement was a result of a federal district court’s decision in a case titled National Women’s Law Center, …
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear three cases in the next term to determine whether Title VII of the Civil Rights Act protects employees from workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity or sex stereotyping.
Federal courts have been divided on whether Title VII protects employees from sex discrimination based on sexual orientation or…
