News & Insights

The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act. 29 U.S.C. § 2101 et seq., passed in 1988, requires employers to provide employees with advanced notice of mass layoffs or plant closings. The advanced notice requirement is intended to help displaced workers find new employment, and there are significant penalties against employers for non-compliance. But, the notice requirements could be triggered in situations where a school district changes from one contractor to another. This...

The implementation of paid sick leave laws by states, cities, and counties is a fast growing trend across the country, and many employers who operate in areas that adopt these laws may potentially be affected. This article discusses what paid sick leave laws are and highlights certain laws that have been introduced and/or passed in Pennsylvania.

After two years of anticipation, the Department of Labor (DOL) published its Final Rule updating the threshold for overtime pay effective January 1, 2020. This 2019 Final Rule comes on the heels of a previous attempt to update overtime pay thresholds in 2016 during the Obama Administration. The 2016 Final Rule that was placed under a nation-wide injunction by a Texas Federal Judge, and then invalidated by President Trump after he assumed office. Many, including the DOL, hope this one is here to...

Employers are often unsure how to proceed when they receive a complaint of alleged misconduct in the workplace. Sometimes the complaints or allegations are clear and detailed. But, other times employees might not be forth coming with details for a number of reasons. Knowing how to identify and respond to reported or potential improper workplace conduct is important for all employers. Investigating reported or possible incidents of improper conduct in the workplace can be done through a workplace...

Many remember the 2016 Obama era rule from the U.S. Dept. of Labor (US DOL) that sought to more than double the threshold for overtime pay by employers. That rule was contested in federal court and was ultimately withdrawn by the Trump administration. The U.S. Department of Labor is now again proposing a new rule that would increase the overtime pay threshold and the number of workers eligible for overtime pay and minimum wage.

In September 2018, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced it was revising 49 CFR § 391.41 to permit drivers with a stable insulin regimen and properly controlled insulin-treated diabetes mellitus (ITDM) to be permitted to operate commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) in interstate commerce without an exemption from FMCSA.

The increased presence of drugs and alcohol has become a common topic of discussion, not only in the media, but in the workplace as well. While the country as a whole faces epidemic proportions of overdose cases each year, employers are confronted on a daily basis with a myriad of intoxication levels, including legal levels. Employers must take steps each and every day to ensure a safe work place, minimize accidents and losses, and consistently apply a written drug and alcohol policy. This artic...