Earlier this month, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) articulated a new standard for evaluating when a facially neutral workplace policy or rule would potentially interfere with rights protected by the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). In doing so, the NLRB overruled its 2004 Lutheran Heritage Village-Livonia decision, which had held that employers violated the NLRA if their workplace rules could be “reasonably construed” by employees as prohibiting their exercise of protected rights.
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Act”) was signed into law on December 22. The Act brings about immediate, sweeping changes to the federal income tax laws, affecting businesses and business owners across all industries. Most provisions of the Act are effective for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017. Certain provisions, however, are retroactive to September or November of 2017.
Companies are increasingly turning to technology to track customers and employers. For example, employers use fingerprint readers as means of employee timekeeping.
In today’s tumultuous global economy, in-house intellectual property (IP) attorneys and managers are tasked with effectively protecting company innovation while facing ever-dwindling budgets.
The U.S. House and Senate have both passed tax reform proposals, which are currently being reconciled. These proposals will have significant impact on compensation and benefit programs.
Ohio will soon join Texas and New Jersey as the only states to regulate “paint and paint-related waste” as a Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) universal waste instead of a hazardous waste.
In February 2015, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (the office) solicited comments as to whether it should recognize privilege for U.S. patent agents and foreign attorneys or agents. Following the comment period, the office published a notice and final rule in the Federal Register on Nov. 7, 2017 (82 Fed. Reg. 214 at 51572) officially recognizing the privilege, effective December 7, 2017.
Last year, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) amended its recordkeeping rules related to workplace injuries and illnesses to require employers keeping those records to submit information to OSHA electronically.
On November 16, 2017, Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. (ISS) released updates to its proxy voting guidelines for 2018 (2018 Updates). The 2018 Updates are effective for shareholder meetings on or after February 1, 2018. This alert summarizes the highlights of the 2018 Updates.
We have become aware that the Department of Labor (DOL) has started to take issue with the standard processes used by retirement plans to identify and locate lost participants in ongoing plans.
On November 2, 2017, the IRS updated FAQs 55-58 on the ACA employer pay or play penalties to explain how it intends to assess and collect 2015 penalties under Code Section 4980H.
The California Fair Employment and Housing Act currently requires employers with 50 or more employees to provide all supervisory employees with at least two hours of training and education regarding sexual harassment and abusive conduct.
On October 17, 2017, the European Union (EU) Working Party on The Protection of Individuals with Regard to the Processing of Personal Data (also referred to as the Article 29 Data Protection Working Party) released two draft guidance documents.
California law generally prohibits an employer from asking applicants to disclose, or from using as a factor in determining any condition of employment, information concerning arrests or detentions not resulting in a conviction.
On October 12, 2017, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) proposed amendments to various items of Regulation S-K that are intended to (1) modernize and simplify certain disclosure requirements in Regulation S-K and related rules and forms and (2) improve the readability and navigability of disclosure documents and discourage repetition and disclosure of immaterial information.
“Together with all contents of said real estate.” It sounds straightforward. But what happens when the “real estate” is a farm and the “contents” in question include trucks and farm machinery?
On September 29, 2017, the Fifth Circuit overturned a $664 million False Claims Act (FCA) judgment in U.S. ex rel. Harman v. Trinity Industries, Inc, Case No. 15-41172 (5th Cir). The court’s reasoning offers substantial ammunition to FCA defendants, and further demonstrates that courts really will enforce the strict materiality requirements outlined by the Supreme Court in Universal Health Servs., Inc. v. United States ex rel., Escobar, 136 S. Ct. 1989, 1995 (2016).
