Recent laws in North Carolina and Mississippi and the subsequent backlash are all over the news.  The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Ogberfell v. Hodges making gay marriage legal across the country is not even a year old.  The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals very recently rule in favor of the right of transgender high school students to use bathrooms for the gender with which they associate.  LGBTQ rights are at the forefront like never before.  Employment discrimination is no exception.  The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) has recently filed two separate suits in Pennsylvania and Maryland district courts challenging the long-held belief that Title VII does not protect against discrimination based on sexual orientation.

Employers with more than 50 employees are usually aware that the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) may apply to their business and their workers. That law, which provides for protected leave for employees in certain situations and various amounts (most often up to 12 weeks of leave), can sound simple but is very complex in its details.

In recent days, New York and California took the first steps in addressing new demands for a “living wage,” with both states raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour. New York City and San Francisco also enacted monumental legislation regarding paid family leave.

On April 1, 2016, new regulations from California’s Fair Employment and Housing Council will go in effect. These new regulations state that “[e]mployers have an affirmative duty to create a workplace environment that is free from employment practices prohibited by the Act,” and require changes in employment policies. As a result, employers should carefully review their existing policies to ensure compliance with these new standards and act quickly to make any needed changes before April 1.

For our second program in this series, we will take a closer look at the Risks and Rewards of Using Independent Contractors.  Many companies think that independent contractors are the solution to their staffing problems, providing flexibility and keeping labor costs down without increasing headcount.  However, there are risks involved in using independent contractors – primarily the risk that the IRS or the Department of Labor will find that they should properly be classified as employees!

The Supreme Court recently ruled 6-3 that a state appeals court erroneously upheld a lower court order refusing to enforce an arbitration agreement that included a class waiver. This decision reaffirmed the supremacy of the Federal Arbitration Act. Wendy Sugg, in Troutman Sanders’ Orange County office, spoke with Employment…

This year, we recognize 25 years of the coverage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) on workplaces and commercial establishments.  While you may be most familiar with how employment policies and practices have been subject to the ADA and its regulations for the past 25 years, that is not the only significant impact of the ADA.  Public entities and transportation providers have had obligations under the ADA too.  In fact, a large part of the ADA specifically applies to places of public accommodations and commercial facilities.  So, anyone who opens their doors for retail, service, office, or warehouse purposes is required to ensure full and equal enjoyment of all goods, services, facilities, and accommodations to those with disabilities.

The HR Law Matters blog is happy to provide you with an overview of recent Background Screening articles, from the firm’s Consumer Financial Services Law Monitor Blog. We know that as HR professionals issues related to Background Screening of employees is important to you, and we think this information will be of  great interest.

The HR Law Matters blog is happy to provide you with an overview of recent Background Screening articles, from the firm’s Consumer Financial Services Law Monitor Blog. We know that as HR professionals issues related to Background Screening of employees is important to you, and we think this information will be of  great interest.