In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, many employers received more religious accommodation requests than ever before, with employees citing religious beliefs in support of requests to be excused from mandatory vaccination requirements. Once such requirements ended, religious accommodation issues largely faded into the background for most employers, and accommodation requests under the
Is COVID-19 still a thing, and does OSHA care about it? Yes and yes. We all know that COVID-19 is still around. On the OSHA front, the agency seems to be focused less exclusively on COVID-19 and plans to take a broader approach.
In recent weeks, the EEOC has filed a number of lawsuits on behalf of individuals, alleging a range of employment claims. Here, we provide a brief overview of those lawsuits and the issues that may be on the EEOC’s mind.
As you likely know, a current or former employee bringing certain claims against
2023 has brought many updates and changes to the legal landscape. Our blog posts have covered many of them, but you may not remember (or care to remember) them. Before moving on to 2024, let’s take a moment to review our top five blog posts from the year and the key takeaways from each.
This week, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a new final rule on the Form I-9 process. Under the new rule, the DHS Secretary may authorize alternative Form I-9 documentation examination procedures that do not require an employer to physically examine an employee’s documents in person. These alternative procedures can be authorized as part
The federal government says healthcare employers can soon stop requiring employees to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Yes — the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is sunsetting the requirement that covered providers have staff COVID-19 vaccination policies. Published in the Federal Register on June 5, 2023, CMS’s
If you take on a federal contract, does that make you a state actor? No, according to a unanimous Sixth Circuit panel in Ciraci v. J.M. Smucker Company.
During World War II, the Army included Smucker’s apple butter in its ration kits, resulting in a federal contractor relationship that has “stuck” ever
As we barrel into 2023, it is worth a look back at last year. Employment law issues in 2022 were diverse, ranging from federal COVID-19 vaccine mandates (yes, that was last year) to state laws on CBD and diversity and inclusion. And, of course, we blogged on it all! To celebrate the year gone by
This year brought substantial progress in the way of slightly fewer positive COVID-19 cases and/or transmissions and increased vaccinations. Consequently, in the employment world many of you reopened your offices and invited employees, some thrilled and others reluctant, to return to in-person work. Though the return has restored some sense of normalcy, there are still
Now almost two and a half years into the pandemic, employers may think they have hit their stride on what to do to make sure their employees are COVID-19-free and safe. As with everything in life, you need to be up to date on the latest guidance. On July 12, the EEOC tweaked their COVID-19 Guidance