Labor & Employment

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USDOL Issues Final Rule Restoring the Narrower “Economic Reality” Standard for Independent Contractor Status Under the FLSA

Effective March 11, 2024, the U. S. Department of Labor (DOL) will implement its final rule, Employee or Independent Contractor Classification Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, rescinding the 2021 Trump era Independent Contractor Rule that made it easier for employers to establish independent contractor status.  The final rule substantially…

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NJ Attorney General and Commissioner of Labor Put Employers Who Misclassify Employees as Independent Contractors on Notice: We Are Coming After You

In a December 11, 2021 press release, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Plotkin and New Jersey Department of Labor Commissioner Robert Asaro-Angelo announced the filing of the first lawsuit under a 2021 law that enhances the State’s authority to curtail illegal misclassification of workers as independent contractors through actions such…

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$15M Verdict for Surgeon Who Claimed Employer Mishandled its Investigation into Sexual Assault Allegations against Him and was the Product of Anti-Male Bias

In a retrenchment of the #MeToo movement’s maxim that “all women must be believed,” a federal jury in Philadelphia found that a University engaged in anti-male bias when it investigated female resident’s sexual assault claim and awarded the accused male employee a whopping $15 million dollars in damages. The Facts:…

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USDOL Proposes Significant Increase in the Salary Threshold for Exempt Employees – How Will it Affect Your Business?

On August 30th, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued a long-awaited proposed rule that if adopted, will substantially expand the ranks of workers eligible for overtime payments for work in excess of 40 hours, as required by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Under present FLSA regulations, certain “white…

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The Ever-Shifting Sands at the NLRB: Board Adopts New Standards for Assessing the Lawfulness of Work Policies and Independent Contractor Relationships

The National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB” or “Board”) is responsible for enforcement of employee rights under Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) to engage in protected concerted activity, such as organizing unions, discussing wages and discipline, and other terms and conditions of employment. Many employers are not…

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Amendments To NJ’s Unemployment Compensation Law Imposes Additional Reporting Obligations and Increased Penalties For Noncompliant Employers

Under New Jersey’s Unemployment Compensation Law, employers have long been obligated to provide separating employees with a Form BC-10 which includes instructions for claiming unemployment benefits, and to provide a reason for the employee’s termination when requested by the NJ Division of Unemployment and Temporary Disability Insurance (the “Division”).  Because…

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New York Employment Law Roundup: Recent Changes That Employers Must Know

Mandatory Sexual Harassment Policy Requirements Since October 2018 New York has mandated employers to adopt written sexual harassment policies and provide yearly sexual harassment training.  The State developed a Sexual Harassment Model Policy and model harassment training materials that employers can use, or employers can develop their own policy and…

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New Jersey Court Rules That the “ABC” Test Does Not Apply to Fully-Commissioned Real Estate Salespeople

In a recent published decision, Kennedy v. Weichert, the New Jersey Appellate Division addressed the proper classification of fully commissioned real estate salespeople as employees versus independent contractors. The court ruled that these individuals are not subject to the “ABC” test for purposes of determining their classification under the New…

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SCOTUS Imposes More Stringent Standard For Employers Managing Requests for Religious Workplace Accommodations

On June 29, 2023, a unanimous U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision in Groff v. DeJoy, clarifying employers’ obligations to accommodate employees’ religious practices under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.  The Court reinterpreted the meaning of “undue hardship” and held that Title VII requires an employer who denies an employee’s…