Workforce Bulletin

By Jordan B. Schwartz

Virtually all hospitality employers are aware that pursuant to the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”), they are required to compensate employees for all hours worked. What is not as clear, however, is whether the time an employee spends at training programs, lectures, meetings, and other similar activities should be considered hours worked. As a result, our clients in the hospitality industry often ask whether they are required to compensate employees for time spent in such training activities. 

The short answer to this question is that an employee’s ...

By David Jacobs and Amy B. Messigian

We would like to call your attention to a significant change to the whistleblower statute in California that went into effect on January 1.  The statute, Cal. Lab. Code section 1102.5, has been substantially expanded beyond its prior form to now protect employees from retaliation for making internal complaints or even potential complaints about suspected violations of federal, state or local law.

California previously protected employees from retaliation for reporting reasonably suspected violations of state or federal laws to a ...

By David Jacobs and Amy B. Messigian

We would like to call your attention to a significant change to the whistleblower statute in California that went into effect on January 1.  The statute, Cal. Lab. Code section 1102.5, has been substantially expanded beyond its prior form to now protect employees from retaliation for making internal complaints or even potential complaints about suspected violations of federal, state or local law.

California previously protected employees from retaliation for reporting reasonably suspected violations of state or federal laws to a ...

As the new year begins, it is important to remember to update official posters informing employees of the law relating to their rights and responsibilities. Click here for a link to the Labor and Employment Advisory published by Maxine H. Neuhauser and Amy E. Hatcher regarding the new employer posting requirements under New Jersey law.

Our colleague Frank C. Morris, Jr., at Epstein Becker Green wrote the December issue of Take 5, with five key action items for employers in 2014. Following is an excerpt:

It’s December, and human resources professionals and law departments are reflecting on the issues addressed in 2013 and giving thanks for incident-free holiday parties. But the big question is this: What issues should get priority attention for 2014 as part of a proactive approach to workplace issues and limiting potential employment and labor law claims? This month’s Take 5 provides a “Top 5″ list of action ...

Our colleague Frank C. Morris, Jr., at Epstein Becker Green wrote the December issue of Take 5, with five key action items for employers in 2014. Following is an excerpt:

It’s December, and human resources professionals and law departments are reflecting on the issues addressed in 2013 and giving thanks for incident-free holiday parties. But the big question is this: What issues should get priority attention for 2014 as part of a proactive approach to workplace issues and limiting potential employment and labor law claims? This month’s Take 5 provides a “Top 5″ list of action ...

Our colleague Frank C. Morris, Jr., at Epstein Becker Green wrote the December issue of Take 5, with five key action items for employers in 2014. Following is an excerpt:

It’s December, and human resources professionals and law departments are reflecting on the issues addressed in 2013 and giving thanks for incident-free holiday parties. But the big question is this: What issues should get priority attention for 2014 as part of a proactive approach to workplace issues and limiting potential employment and labor law claims? This month’s Take 5 provides a “Top 5″ list of action ...

Our colleague Frank C. Morris, Jr., at Epstein Becker Green wrote the December issue of Take 5, with five key action items for employers in 2014.  Following is an excerpt:

It's December, and human resources professionals and law departments are reflecting on the issues addressed in 2013 and giving thanks for incident-free holiday parties. But the big question is this: What issues should get priority attention for 2014 as part of a proactive approach to workplace issues and limiting potential employment and labor law claims? This month's Take 5 provides a "Top 5" list of action items to ...

By:  Jamie Friedman

This week, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”), the agency responsible for enforcing federal employment anti-discrimination and retaliation laws, released its Fiscal Year 2013 Performance Accountability Report (the “Report”). According to the Report, in 2013, the EEOC secured a record-breaking $372 million dollars from private employers for workplace discrimination, despite receiving 6,000 fewer charges of discrimination during FY 2013 (with a total of 93,727 charges) as compared to the prior year, and despite resolving ...

From all of us in the national OSHA Practice Group at Epstein Becker & Green to all of you, happy holidays and happy New Year.  We wish you a holiday season filled with joy, and a safe and happy 2014.

Thank you all for continuing to take time out of your busy days to read our articles and posts here on the OSHA Law Update blog.  As we celebrated the 2^nd Anniversary of the OSHA Law Update blog on December 20^th, another great year of bringing you fresh perspectives on important OSHA law topics, we had to stop and thank you for all of your positive feedback, comments, and questions ...