I am pleased to join as one of the regular contributors to the Manufacturing Law Blog. I am a labor and employment lawyer and I will be providing insights from that vantage point, which Matt Miklave has so ably contributed over the past several years. Matt is retiring from Robinson+Cole and we wish him well … Continue Reading
Regular readers of this blog know that I have been cautioning manufacturers about what I expect will become a significant “snap back” in federal workplace regulations because of Joe Biden’s election as president. It may be time to consider the changes which may lay ahead. During his first term, President Biden will be able to … Continue Reading
This week we are pleased to have a guest post from Jennifer L. Shanley, a member of Robinson+Cole’s Immigration Group. Her preparation of temporary and permanent immigration petitions allow manufacturing, chemical, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology companies, including some Fortune 100 companies, to retain key business people, scientists, researchers, and other professionals. The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), … Continue Reading
Effective September 30, the New York State Paid Sick Leave Law (NYSPSL Law) and amendments to the New York City Paid Safe and Sick Leave Law (NYCPSL Law) became effective requiring implementation of new leave accrual, record-keeping and reporting obligations. Manufacturers with operations in New York State or New York City may need to … Continue Reading
On Friday, September 11, the U.S. DOL issued revised regulations under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”). Responding to a Federal Court’s August 4 decision invalidating four provisions in the prior regulations (see Post here), the Revised Regulations become effective September 16 and will sunset on December 31, 2020. Adopted with lightning speed in … Continue Reading
A United States federal judge in Manhattan struck down four regulations issued by the United States Department of Labor (“DOL”) limiting paid leave entitlements under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. In his August 3, 2020 decision, Judge J. Paul Oetken found the DOL exceeded its authority (a) by determining that employees were not entitled … Continue Reading
The Novel Coronavirus, the speed by which science continues to discover new aspects of the disease and the response of the United States government to these developments has tested manufacturers. One aspect of this testing concerns, well, testing. The Americans with Disabilities Act has long banned manufacturers from requiring medical evaluations unless both “job-related” and … Continue Reading
This week we are pleased to have a guest post from Jennifer L. Shanley, a member of Robinson+Cole’s Immigration Group. Her preparation of temporary and permanent immigration petitions allow manufacturing, chemical, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology companies, including some Fortune 100 companies, to retain key business people, scientists, researchers, and other professionals. President Trump signed a proclamation temporarily … Continue Reading
This is the second of two posts dedicated to reopening plans for manufacturers. In the first post on May 26, I addressed the first two questions which every manufacturer may wish to ask as it forms its reopening plans. Manufacturing; Back to Business (Part One) (May 26, 2020). Here, I address the next four questions. … Continue Reading
While a recent headline-grabbing Forbes article may have caused some concern (“Researchers Say Social Distancing To Prevent Coronavirus May Need To Continue Until 2022”), many manufacturers are now planning to return to “Business as (the New) Normal.” During the last two months, I have been fielding calls from essential manufacturers on how to conduct business … Continue Reading
I recently presented a program on “Employment Issues Related to Teleworking” as part of the free Coronavirus Special Topic Conference Call Series hosted by the U.S. Department of Commerce in partnership with the Connecticut District Export Council. Below are some key takeaways from the program that affect many manufacturers. . While not normal, the social … Continue Reading
The patchwork of federal, state and local laws addressing leaves of absence, protections of people with disabilities and a manufacturer’s general obligation to provide a safe workplace come head-to-head with public reports of an evolving situation. Right now, the CDC admits that “[m]uch is unknown about how the virus that causes COVID-19 spreads.” Manufacturers should … Continue Reading
I think by now regular readers of this column know I embrace my inner geek. I read decisions when they are issued in areas where I am trying to identify trends, anticipate future events, and give clients and friends some insight they may not get from others. And you know that I have been keeping … Continue Reading
Our tradition includes using our first January post to make predictions about “what’s to come” in the year ahead. But first, let’s see how I did over the last year. “Time for 2019 Manufacturing Law Predictions: Drum Roll Please!” (Jan. 9, 2019). I boldly predicted that on the federal level the government would continue to … Continue Reading
The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation released its Fiscal Year 2019 Annual Report and, you guessed it, it was “un-good” (a legal term I think). The Multiemployer Insurance Program recorded a record-breaking deficit of $65.2 billion. The PBGC warned that the Multiemployer fund will likely be insolvent by 2025, within 6 years from today. Without the … Continue Reading
A few months back, I posted some thoughts about recent efforts to legalize medical and recreational marijuana, with an emphasis on the potential issues such laws would have on manufacturers – particularly manufacturers in a space requiring a heightened concern for employee safety. See “Legal Pot = Manufacturing Storm Clouds” (May 29, 2019). To my … Continue Reading
I have posted a few times here about using post-employment restrictions to preserve a manufacturer’s competitive advantage. See “Non-Compete Cautionary Tale” (Nov, 2, 2018); “I’m New – And It’s No [Trade] Secret” (Oct. 27, 2014) and “Even More Reason for Manufacturers to Update Their Employment Agreements” (June 15, 2015). Many of my clients use these … Continue Reading
[With apologies to the great Yogi Berra!] Over the last three years, I have spent a good bit of space on this blog keeping manufacturers informed of the Department of Labor’s efforts to raise the wages of lower and middle level managerial employees and supervisors by raising the “salary threshold”. See Blog posts of March … Continue Reading
This blog post is dedicated to those of you who took a heathy summer break and want to catch up on the summer’s major developments. Let the speed reading begin! As predicted here, the Trump Administration launched a series of not-so-surprising raids to arrest undocumented workers. As of this writing, there has not been a … Continue Reading
I have just returned from my summer sojourn in the wilds of New England catching up on rest, relaxation and reported court decisions. (Yes, I embrace my inner nerd!) Two recent court decisions dealing with mandatory arbitration agreements caught my eye and highlight why some manufacturers may gain by requiring pre-dispute employment arbitration agreements. In … Continue Reading
Concluding their 2019 legislative sessions, New York and Connecticut adopted sweeping new discrimination and harassment requirements — mandating additional training, expanding available remedies and making it easier for victims to obtain judicial relief. New York In June, the New York General Assembly adopted several significant changes to New York State’s anti-discrimination statute (known as the … Continue Reading
New York City’s recent ban on pre-employment marijuana testing, coupled with recent decisions in New Jersey and Connecticut, could give manufacturers cause for concern. Effective May 20, 2020, New York City employers will no longer be allowed to require pre-employment marijuana testing for most jobs, testing which historically has been a routine part of the … Continue Reading
Key Dates: May 31, 2019 and September 30, 2019 You may have been following the complex twists and turns involving the collection of employee pay and demographic data by the EEOC. While the landscape seems to be constantly changing, pending a stay of the court order in National Women’s Law Center, et al., v. Office … Continue Reading
With the Trump Administration now in its 27th month (half-way through the first term), Federal agencies seem to be picking up the pace of fundamentally altering the legal landscape in which manufacturers operate. Keeping up with these changes can be a full time job. In this blog post, I will highlight some of the more … Continue Reading
