A complaint filed in Massachusetts federal court earlier this week highlights a blind spot for many employers. When thinking about parental leave issues, employers often focus on their women. But men have the same rights as women when it comes to taking time off after the birth or placement of a child, or to care […]
The Department of Labor recently released updated FMLA forms that employers can use to notify employees about their FMLA rights and confirm an employee’s leave is for an FMLA qualifying purpose. The updated forms include: (1) a General Notice of FMLA Rights, which can be given to employees upon hire; (2) the FMLA Eligibility Notice […]
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, most businesses were faced with making difficult decisions regarding their workforce. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that, in April, the unemployment rate rose to 14.7 percent totaling 23.1 million unemployed. While the number of new unemployment claims appears to be dropping, for the week ending May 2, 2020, […]
On March 18, President Donald Trump signed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA” or the “Act”), taking a major step to provide paid leave to workers affected by COVID-19 and blunt the effects of the virus on the U.S. economy. We summarize the employment provisions of the Act here.
The Senate is expected to vote on an emergency bill early this week that will, among other things, dramatically expand the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) both in terms of coverage and mandating paid leave. Late last week the House of Representatives passed HB 6201 entitled “Families First Coronavirus Response Act.” Section 3101 of that bill, […]
Two important employment-related bills have been introduced in the House of Representatives of Arizona’s legislature. The first, HB2116, would make bereavement leave for the death of a child mandatory for any employers that are already subject to the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). The second, HB2335, is part of a larger bill that also deals […]
The U.S. Department of Labor (the “DOL”) is revising its optional-use notice forms under the Family Medical Leave Act (the “FMLA”). The DOL has reported that the changes are being made to increase compliance with the FMLA, make the forms more user-friendly, and reduce the number of forms employers receive that are returned incomplete or […]
A common observation from in-house attorneys is that, unlike those in private practice, many lack the luxury of being able to focus on a specific area of law. Rather, they are often expected to understand and provide legal advice on a myriad of complex topics that differ from their ordinary practice. This program, requested by […]