LawUpdates.com - Employment Law Updates

House Oversight Committee Advances Major Federal Pension Reform

2012-05-30T22:17:26+00:00

New Proposed Legislation || Securing Annuities for Federal Employees Act of 2012 || The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has passed the largest cost-saving reform to federal employee pensions since the creation of the Federal Employee Retirement System in 1984.

EEOC Updates Guidance on Employer Use of Arrest and Conviction Records

2012-05-22T20:36:14+00:00

New Statutes, Regulations, and Rules || Enforcement Guidance on the Consideration of Arrest and Conviction Records in Employment Decisions Under Title VII || The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has issued an updated Enforcement Guidance on employer use of arrest and conviction records in employment decisions under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended (Title VII).

Jobs Bill for New Veterans Would Enlist Local Business Leaders as Mentors

2012-05-22T00:06:51+00:00

New Proposed Legislation || The Veterans Jobs Act || Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Congressmen Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) and Dave Reichert (R-WA) have introduced legislation to improve programs that provide employment and job training preparation for separating servicemembers.

Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act Clears Senate Committee

2012-05-18T18:38:18+00:00

New Proposed Legislation || Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act of 2011 || The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee has approved legislation that would entitle federal employees in same sex domestic partnerships to the same benefits now available to married federal employees.

Justice Department Will Not Challenge Worker Rights Consortium's Designated Suppliers Program for Collegiate Apparel

2012-05-17T21:03:29+00:00

New Statutes, Regulations, and Rules || Worker Rights Consortium's Designated Suppliers Program for Collegiate Apparel || The Department of Justice has issued a business review letter stating that it will not challenge a proposal by the Worker Rights Consortium to implement the Designated Suppliers Program.

US Labor Department Publishes Revised List of Products Made with Forced or Indentured Child Labor

2012-05-15T21:46:14+00:00

New Statutes, Regulations, and Rules || Final Determination Revising the List of Products Requiring Federal Contractor Certification as to Forced Child Labor || The U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of International Labor Affairs has published a revised list of products that federal contractors must certify under Executive Order 13126 are not produced with forced or indentured child labor.

US Labor Department’s OSHA Announces New National Emphasis Program for Nursing and Residential Care Facilities

2012-05-10T18:01:59+00:00

New Statutes, Regulations, and Rules || National Emphasis Program for Nursing and Residential Care Facilities || The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has announced a new National Emphasis Program for Nursing and Residential Care Facilities to protect workers from serious safety and health hazards that are common in medical industries.

Senators and Congressmen File Separate Bills Prohibiting Employers from Requiring Employees to Give Access to their Social Networking Accounts

2012-05-9T23:23:21+00:00

New Proposed Legislation || Password Protection Act of 2012 and Social Networking Online Protection Act || Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) have introduced legislation aimed at curbing the growing practice of employers requiring prospective or current employees to provide access to password-protected accounts as a condition for employment.

Mine Safety Agency Begins 3rd Phase of ‘Rules to Live By’ Outreach and Enforcement Initiative

2012-05-1T19:20:40+00:00

New Statutes, Regulations, and Rules || Rules to Live By III - MHSA || The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration has launched the third phase of an outreach and enforcement program designed to strengthen efforts to prevent mining fatalities.

EEOC Issues Final Rule on "Reasonable Factors Other than Age" Under the ADEA

2012-04-27T19:21:38+00:00

New Statutes, Regulations, and Rules || Disparate Impact and Reasonable Factors Other Than Age Under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act || The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has issued the “Final Regulation on Disparate Impact and Reasonable Factors Other than Age” (RFOA) under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA).

NLRB Acting General Counsel Issues Guidance to Regions for Implementing New Representation Case Procedures

2012-04-26T18:50:38+00:00

New Statutes, Regulations, and Rules || Guidance Memorandum on Representation Case Procedure Changes || In a memo issued today, National Labor relations Board (NLRB) Acting General Counsel Lafe Solomon outlined in detail how regional offices will implement new representation case procedures that take effect on Monday, April 30.

US Department of Labor's OSHA Revises Hazard Communication Standard

2012-04-14T00:32:05+00:00

New Statutes, Regulations, and Rules || Hazard Communication || To better protect workers from hazardous chemicals, the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has revised its Hazard Communication Standard, aligning it with the United Nations' global chemical labeling system.

MSHA Releases Final Rule on Examinations in Underground Coal Mines

2012-04-12T23:04:02+00:00

New Statutes, Regulations, and Rules || Examinations of Work Areas in Underground Coal Mines for Violations of Mandatory Health or Safety Standards || The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration has released a final rule "Examinations of Work Areas in Underground Coal Mines for Violations of Mandatory Health or Safety Standards.”

House Panels Issue Favorable Reports on Postal Reform Act of 2011

2012-04-2T20:44:46+00:00

New Proposed Legislation || Postal Reform Act of 2011 || The House Committee on Government Oversight and Reform and the House Committee on Rules have successively issued favorable reports that would pave the way for its eventual passage on the floor of the whole House.

MSHA Reorganizes to Centralize Oversight of Assessments, Accountability Programs

2012-03-27T12:23:02+00:00

New Statutes, Regulations, and Rules || Reorganization - U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration || The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration has announced a reorganization designed to centralize its oversight of certain cross-cutting, compliance-related actions.

US Labor, Treasury Departments Issue Rules to Enhance Retirement Security

2012-03-27T11:36:35+00:00

New Statutes, Regulations, and Rules || Treasury Department’s Guidance Package on Lifetime Income/Labor Department's Final Rule on 401(k) Fee Disclosure || Following President Obama's State of the Union address, in which he proposed a blueprint for an American economy built to last, the U.S. Departments of Labor and the Treasury have undertaken two executive actions designed to help enhance security for millions of Americans saving for retirement.

Labor Department Issues Final Rule Amending Senior Community Service Employment Program Regulations

2012-03-27T11:06:56+00:00

New Statutes, Regulations, and Rules || Senior Community Service Employment Program; Final Rule, Additional Indicator on Volunteer Work || The U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration has issued a final rule amending the Senior Community Service Employment Program regulations to allow entry into volunteer work as an additional performance indicator.

US Labor Department Releases Final Rule Expanding Occupational Skills Training to YouthBuild Participants

2012-03-26T12:03:56+00:00

New Statutes, Regulations, and Rules || Final Rule Implementing the YouthBuild Transfer Act of 2006 || The U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration has issued a final rule implementing the YouthBuild Transfer Act of 2006, which establishes the program within the Labor Department.

NY Governor Cuomo Signs Law to Enact Major Pension Reform

2012-03-23T08:58:59+00:00

New Statutes, Regulations, and Rules || New York Pension Reform Act || New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo has signed into law sweeping pension reform legislation that will save state and local governments, including New York City, more than $80 billion over the next 30 years.

US Labor Department’s Office of Disability Employment Policy Releases Comprehensive Soft Skills Curriculum for Young Workers

2012-03-21T08:39:22+00:00

New Statutes, Regulations, and Rules || Skills to Pay the Bills: Mastering Soft Skills for Workplace Success || The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy has released “Skills to Pay the Bills: Mastering Soft Skills for Workplace Success," a collection of career development exercises and activities designed to help sharpen the communication and other "soft" skills of young workers, including those with disabilities.

US Labor Department Issues Comprehensive Final Rule on H-2B Foreign Labor Certification Program

2012-03-19T18:24:44+00:00

New Statutes, Regulations, and Rules || Temporary Non-agricultural Employment of H-2B Aliens in the United States || The U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration and its Wage and Hour Division have issued a final rule to improve the H-2B temporary nonagricultural worker program.

US Labor Department, California to Reduce Misclassification of Employees as Independent Contractors

2012-03-16T08:44:22+00:00

New Statutes, Regulations, and Rules || MOU to Reduce Misclassification of Employees as Independent Contractors || Nancy J. Leppink, deputy administrator of the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division, and California Secretary of Labor Marty Morgenstern have entered into a memorandum of understanding regarding the improper classification of employees as independent contractors.

US Labor Department Extends Comment Period on Proposed Rule to Provide Minimum Wage and Overtime Protections for In-Home Care Workers

2012-03-15T17:52:15+00:00

New Statutes, Regulations, and Rules || Application of the Fair Labor Standards Act to Domestic Service || The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division has announced a 14-day extension of the comment period for its proposed rule to provide minimum wage and overtime protections for nearly 2 million workers who provide in-home care services.

NLRB Acting General Counsel Seeks Changes in Deferral Policy

2012-03-14T12:12:17+00:00

New Statutes, Regulations, and Rules || Guideline Memorandum Concerning Collyer Deferral Where Grievance-Resolution Process is Subject to Serious Delay || Citing concerns about delays in processing grievances through parties’ contractual grievance-arbitration procedures, NLRB Acting General Counsel Lafe Solomon has proposed that the Board consider revising the existing policy of deferring charges to arbitration in certain circumstances.

EEOC Issues Revised Publications on Employment of Veterans with Disabilities

2012-03-12T05:56:32+00:00

New Statutes, Regulations, and Rules || Veterans and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): A Guide for Employers and Understanding Your Employment Rights Under the || The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has issued two revised publications addressing veterans with disabilities and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Both documents are available on the agency’s website at www.eeoc.gov.