News & Insights

Practice Area: Employment

Employment Protections Expand Under The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act

On June 27, 2023, the EEOC began accepting charges under the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (“PWFA”). The PWFA requires “covered employers” to provide “reasonable accommodations” to a worker’s known limitations arising from pregnancy, childbirth or other related conditions, unless doing so would impose an undue hardship on the employer. With more than 30 states and…
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Federal Agencies Have Announced Action On Ai Discrimination

The Department of Justice (“DOJ”), the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”), the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”), and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) have issued a joint statement outlining a collective commitment to monitor the use of automated systems and artificial intelligence (“AI”) and its relation to unlawful discrimination.  The agencies have warned that while…
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NLRB General Counsel Issues Guidance On Non-Disparagement And Confidentiality Provisions In Severance Agreements

The National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”) recently issued a decision in McLaren Macomb, 372 NLRB No. 58 (2023), holding that severance agreements containing overly broad non-disparagement or confidentiality clauses violate the rights of employees under the National Labor Relations Act (“NLRA”), Section 7. The NLRB held that such clauses interfere with employees’ rights to assist co-workers or…
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Supreme Court Rules Employees Paid Daily Rate Are Entitled To Overtime

On February 22, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed a decision from the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals that an employee earning a daily rate is not exempt from overtime pay under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”). See Helix Energy Sols. Grp., Inc. v. Hewitt, 143 S. Ct. 677 (2023). In its 6-3 decision,…
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United States Senate Reintroduces Bill To Ban Non-Compete Agreements

On February 1, 2023, a bipartisan group of United States Senators reintroduced a bill, entitled the “Workforce Mobility Act of 2023” (“the Act”). The Act proposes a nationwide ban on the majority of non-compete agreements and follows the recently proposed rule by the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”). If passed, the Act would codify the use…
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Federal Trade Commission Proposes Rule To Ban Noncompete Agreements

On January 5, 2023, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) proposed a rule to ban non-compete agreements between employers and workers. The proposed rule would prevent employers from requiring workers to agree to contract clauses that prevent the worker from seeking or accepting employment with another employer or operating a business after the conclusion of the…
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President Biden Sign Speak Out Act Barring Use Of Non-Disclosure Agreements In Harassment Cases

On December 7, 2022, President Joe Biden (“President Biden”) signed the Speak Out Act (“The Act”), which bans the use of pre-dispute, non-disclosure and non-disparagement contract clauses involving sexual assault and sexual harassment claims. The Act applies to agreements between employers, current employees, former employees and independent contractors. Pursuant to The Act, a non-disclosure clause…
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Eleventh Circuit Continues Trend Of Increased Scrutiny In No Hire And No Poach Agreements

The United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida erred when it dismissed a suit against a group of Burger King franchisees that alleged the restaurants illegally maintained no-hire and no-poach agreements. The workers claimed Burger King’s franchisee agreements prevented them from obtaining employment at other franchise restaurants. See Arrington v. Burger King…
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U.S. Department Of Labor Issues New Rule On Independent Contractor Status

On October, 11, 2022, the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) released a proposed rule to update the test for determining whether a worker is an employee under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”) or an independent contractor. The new rule significantly broadens the classification of workers as employees under the FLSA.  In January 2021, the DOL previously…
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Eleventh Circuit Enforces Employee Arbitration Agreement, Holding That The Agreement Was Not Unconscionable

The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals recently reversed a District Court’s decision that an employment arbitration agreement was “procedurally unconscionable”. See Lambert v. Signature Healthcare, LLC, No. 19-11900 (11th Cir. July 8, 2022). Lambert was unemployed for six months and accepted a position with Signature Healthcare.  As a condition to her employment, she was required…
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