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Employment Law Newsletter: A Monthly Report On Labor Law Issues

Our Monthly Report on Labor Law Issues, also known as the Employment Law Bulletin, is a monthly newsletter that covers a wide range of labor law issues, including affirmative action plans, strikes, OSHA regulations, minimum wage requirements, and more. Other topics covered have included issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic, such as workplace walk-outs and strikes, vaccinations, and employee rights related to positive test results and quarantine. The newsletter also covers issues related to discrimination, such as artificial intelligence and racial bias, and issues related to unions, such as organizing efforts and union successes at companies like Amazon and Starbucks. The newsletter also covers issues related to taxes, immigration, and court cases related to labor law. Stay informed and avoid legal missteps, by subscribing to email updates here.

rocket launch, sky, night
Premiums for employees’ family health insurance increased at more than double the U.S. inflation rate to over $25,000 in 2024, according to researcher KFF.  This was an approximate 7% increase from the prior year.  The increase comes partially from the new weight-loss drugs, although currently only about one in five employers cover such drugs.  Those drugs…
man smoking, in the dark
The Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), has anti-discrimination provisions which require healthcare plans with surcharges for poor health practices to provide a reasonable alternative standard to such surcharges.
judge gavel, keyboard
In his first term as President, Trump gained confirmation for 234 federal judges, and President Biden gained confirmation of 235 judges.  Currently, some 47 federal judicial seats are vacant, and 20 more are occupied by judges who have announced plans to assume senior status, where another judge can be appointed in their place.  However, there are only two…
armored man, with sword and shield
The Fair Labor Standards Act has multiple exemptions for employers’ obligation to pay overtime for hours worked over 40.  In a Supreme Court ruling issued on January 15, 2025, the Supreme Court reversed a court of appeals ruling requiring “clear and convincing evidence” that an overtime exemption applied.  E.M.D. Sales Inc. v. Carrera, No. 23-217.  The Cour…
calendar notebook
Some were surprised when President Trump nominated Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemar, R. Ore., as his nominee to be Secretary of Labor.  The daughter of a Teamster, she has considered herself a supporter of unions and labor rights, and one of only three Republican representatives to vote for the Pro Act.  
border fence
As this publication is going to press, on Inauguration Day, President Trump reportedly will issue some 100 executive orders on his very first day in office.  Among those are a number of immigration-related orders.  Trump officials indicate that the executive orders will be followed within days by a series of immigration enforcement raids targeting criminals…
Senate building, outside
In a major blow to organized labor, the Senate voted on November 10, 2024, against the confirmation of NLRB Chair Lauren McFerran to another term, thus keeping McFerran from continuing the Democratic majority at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB or Board) until at least 2026.  The decisive votes were cast by two outgoing ex-Democrats, Sens. Joe Manch…
warehouse shelves
President-Elect Trump announced in November that he plans to nominate Republican Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer of Oregon as Secretary of Labor.  Although she lost her recent election, she serves on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, which conducts oversight of the Department of Labor (DOL).  Her voting history on major labor issues is as pro-uni…
I voted sticker
The shift in positions since the election is amazing.  Before the election, there was bi-partisan support for a bill to increase the number of federal judges, but since the election many Democrats have announced opposition to the measure and President Biden has threatened to veto it. 
american border wall
In his first term, President Trump changed policies at the U.S.-Mexico border, reduced the number of refugees admitted to the U.S., and added additional requirements to the legal immigration system.  He also changed enforcement priorities, seeking to increase Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) enforcement and deportations and to end the Deferred Acti…
trump 2024 poster on wood
Donald Trump not only won the Presidency, but also almost came close to winning a majority of the votes; the Republicans flipped four Senate seats to go from 49 to 53 seats and appear to be maintaining their prior House majority of at least 220-215.  Republicans also made some gains in the state legislatures, particularly in Michigan, Minnesota, and Pennsyl…