On February 25, 2015, the U.S. Department of Labor announced an important change in the definition of spouse under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA). The new rule was to take effective on March 27, 2015. But on March 26, U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor of Texas issued a temporary restraining order putting the kibosh on the rule change.
Alabama adopts equal pay law
Alabama generally has a reputation as being very favorable to employers and less protective of employees. The state adheres to the at-will doctrine of employment law more adamantly than most other states. But that changed on June 10, 2019 when Govern
Sexual orientation discrimination goes to Supreme Court second time
Update on Bostock and Zarda: On April 22, 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court granted writs of certiorari for both of these cases. That means that the Supreme Court will give both cases a “full” appeal. We anticipate the court will issue a decision later th
New Overtime Rule 2.0 (2019)
On March 7, 2019, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced a proposed rule that would make more than a million American workers potentially eligible for overtime. This eligibility would come about by changing the threshold for salaries that trigg
Alabama law about firearms in the workplace
A business recently asked us about the Alabama firearms-in-the-workplace law, found at § 13A-11-90 of the Code of Alabama 1975. Concern about firearms in the workplace is certainly rational because of recent shootings at workplaces, as well as at pla
No size requirement for local governments to be sued for age discrimination
Today, the United States Supreme Court issued a ruling in Mount Lemmon Fire District v. Guido, a case we have been tracking over the last year. The ruling expands the scope of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) to allow claims against lo
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Nearly 2,500 men received back wages, interest, and benefits because they were steered by the employer to “men’s work” and not hired to do “women’s work.”
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Shell Oil Company and Motiva Enterprises, LLC, are going to have to pay nearly $4.5 million dollars to more than 2,600 employees because the companies didn’t pay employees who attended meetings the companies required the employees to attend. (Motiva is partially owned by Shell.)
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Beginning in approximately 2009, the U.S. Labor Department (DOL) began a crackdown on misclassification of workers. In 2011, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) joined the effort. Under an agreement between the two departments, the DOL will provide information to the IRS for investigation of potential misclassification.