Labor & Employment Law Update

OSHA recently announced a significant change in its head protection policy, and is transitioning from traditional hard hats to safety helmets for its employees. This move is more than just an internal policy shift, and signals a broader push that will soon affect all employers whose employees are required to wear head protection, likely leading to citations when employees wear traditional hard hats in lieu of the helmets—which OSHA specifically notes can fall off, do not protect the side of the head, and keep heat trapped inside.

While the announcement, on its face, focuses on OSHA ...

As we wind down 2023, your company may be sharing with its employees either through business closing periods or end-of-the-year bonuses. Employers must be cognizant that these generous gestures may carry compliance obligations for the business.

BONUSES

Employers must be careful when paying out bonuses at the end of the year to non-exempt employees. As with other bonuses, a holiday bonus must be included in overtime calculations for nonexempt employees unless it is completely discretionary or is a gift. If a bonus is promised or expected or is dependent on the quality, quantity or ...

With the January 1, 2024, effective date of the Illinois Paid Leave for All Workers Act (IPLAWA) quickly approaching, employers need to ensure they are analyzing their existing paid leave policies to determine what changes need to be made before the end of 2023.

The Illinois Department of Labor (IDOL) has been providing more information regarding the “rules” for the IPLAWA. The IDOL has published additional guidance through FAQs --- which are not law, but should nonetheless be taken into consideration and reviewed carefully when finalizing paid leave policies for the purpose of ...

With the advent of the federal Corporate Transparency Act (“CTA”), which requires filings by most newly formed and smaller existing corporations, limited liability companies, limited partnerships, or other similar entities created by a filing with the Secretary of State or other similar office, businesses should be aware of the upcoming compliance changes going into effect on January 1, 2024.

Join corporate attorney Karen Tobin for a timely discussion on the changes to filing requirements going into effect at the beginning of 2024.

Early in the New Year we often see employees switching jobs, which can trigger disputes over restrictive covenants in their employment agreements. As 2023 draws to a close, here are some things to keep in mind to protect your company, its customers, and its information against unfair competition from departing employees:

Assume the worst.

We tend to assume people will comply with their contractual obligations. Employers should not assume a departing employee will comply with a restrictive covenant. Some employees forget they even have an employment agreement. Some think the ...

Facing a stubborn backlog and an influx of immigrants seeking refuge, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) proposed a rule featuring a new fee schedule in January 2023. The proposed fee schedule includes sharp increases in fees for H-1B visas, green cards, and naturalization.

USCIS has deferred the final ruling on the fees until early 2024. The steep increases are worthy of your attention now, by filing for your green card or naturalization before the fees rise.

Why Immigration Fees Are Rising

USCIS’s current fees went into effect on December 23, 2016. Fees ...