Category: Labor & Employment

COVID-19, Labor & Employment

Cal-OSHA Standards Board Adopts Emergency Temporary Standards (ETS) Revisions, Governor Newsom Issues Immediately Effective Executive Order

Written by Jeremy Mittman & Thea Rogers Last Friday, June 17, Governor Newsom signed the Cal-OSHA Safety and Health Standards Board’s revisions to its Emergency Temporary Standards (“ETS”) into immediate effect (Executive Order linked here), thereby more closely aligning Cal-OSHA COVID-19 face covering and physical distancing standards with the California Department of Public Health (“CDPH”) and Centers for Disease Control (“CDC”) recommendations.  Although Governor Newsom … Continue reading Cal-OSHA Standards Board Adopts Emergency Temporary Standards (ETS) Revisions, Governor Newsom Issues Immediately Effective Executive Order

Unknown's avatarmskllpLeave a comment
COVID-19, Labor & Employment

Houston, We Have a Policy: Texas Court Upholds Employer’s COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate

Written by Jeremy Mittman and Stephen Franz As a handful of employees across the country have filed lawsuits challenging workplace COVID-19 vaccination mandates, many employers have been left to grapple with whether they can implement a mandatory COVID-19 vaccine policy as a condition of employment.  At least according to one Texas federal district court, the answer is yes.   Judge Hughes of the United States … Continue reading Houston, We Have a Policy: Texas Court Upholds Employer’s COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate

Unknown's avatarmskllpLeave a comment
COVID-19, Labor & Employment

California Mask Requirement for Workplaces To Continue Through Summer (And More!), CAL-OSHA Says

Written by Jeremy Mittman and Thea Rogers [UPDATE]:  As we reported below, Cal-OSHA’s Standards Board recently proposed a series of controversial amendments to CAL-OSHA’s COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standards, which included face covering and social distancing requirements that many critics considered unnecessarily onerous in light of recent California Department of Public Health and CDC guidance.  Yesterday, the Board withdrew these proposed amendments.  While it is unconfirmed … Continue reading California Mask Requirement for Workplaces To Continue Through Summer (And More!), CAL-OSHA Says

Unknown's avatarmskllpLeave a comment
Cybersecurity, Labor & Employment, Regulatory

Is Your Computer System Safe from Internal Misuse?

Written by Susan Kohn Ross and Stephen C. Franz On June 3, 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision in Van Buren v. U.S., No. 19-783. The issue for the Court was relatively straight forward – did a police officer with authorized access to his department’s license-plate database exceed his authorized access when he was given money to run a license plate and shared the results … Continue reading Is Your Computer System Safe from Internal Misuse?

Unknown's avatarmskllpLeave a comment
Labor & Employment

The NLRB Approves Confidentiality Rule with Regard to an Ongoing Employer Investigation

Written by Jeremy Mittman and Justine Wallace Can an employer ask employees to keep interviews conducted in the context of a workplace investigation confidential?  Yes, says the NLRB, in a helpful ruling for employers– that applies to both unionized and non-unionized workplaces. A majority 2-1 decision by the National Labor Relations Board (the “Board”) held that an employer did not violate federal law after instructing … Continue reading The NLRB Approves Confidentiality Rule with Regard to an Ongoing Employer Investigation

Unknown's avatarmskllpLeave a comment
Labor & Employment

The NLRB Approves Non-Disparagement, Non-Solicitation, and Email Workplace Rules

Written by Jeremy Mittman and Louise Truong The National Labor Relations Board (the “Board”) frequently evaluates employer policies regarding whether they violate employees’ rights to unionize under Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act (“NLRA”).  As such, it is essential for employers, including those who do not have union employees, to consider the Board’s decisions when drafting and reviewing their policies and handbooks.  Recently, … Continue reading The NLRB Approves Non-Disparagement, Non-Solicitation, and Email Workplace Rules

Unknown's avatarmskllpLeave a comment
COVID-19, Labor & Employment

Employers Begin to Grapple with the Risks of Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccination Policies

Written by Jeremy Mittman and Shanda Lowe As expected, the first batch of lawsuits challenging COVID-19 vaccine mandates are popping up across the country—a possibility that we noted in an earlier post on this subject. So far, at least two federal lawsuits have been filed based on the fact that the COVID-19 vaccines currently in use are only available under an Emergency Use Authorization (“EUA”) … Continue reading Employers Begin to Grapple with the Risks of Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccination Policies

Unknown's avatarmskllpLeave a comment
COVID-19, Labor & Employment

IT’S BACK! MOST CALIFORNIA EMPLOYERS NOW NEED TO PROVIDE SUPPLEMENTAL COVID-19 SICK LEAVE

Written by Jeremy Mittman and Thea Rogers On March 18, 2021, the California Senate voted to approve Senate Bill 95, thereby extending the previous COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave law that expired on December 31, 2020. Governor Newsom signed the law into immediate effect on March 19; it applies retroactively to January 1, 2021, the obligation to provide the leave begins on March 29 (ten … Continue reading IT’S BACK! MOST CALIFORNIA EMPLOYERS NOW NEED TO PROVIDE SUPPLEMENTAL COVID-19 SICK LEAVE

Unknown's avatarmskllpLeave a comment
COVID-19, Labor & Employment

Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccination Policies Could Carry Risks In Light of FDA Authorization Status

Writtten by Jeremy Mittman and Shanda Lowe A year after many businesses in the United States were forced to reduce or shut down operations because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the availability of multiple vaccines is giving hope that a return to “normal” is finally on the horizon. Although most employers have not adopted a mandatory vaccination policy (and to do so now would likely be … Continue reading Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccination Policies Could Carry Risks In Light of FDA Authorization Status

Unknown's avatarmskllpLeave a comment
COVID-19, Labor & Employment

Coronavirus Consort – Court Rejects Wife’s COVID-19 Suit Against Husband’s Employer

Written by Jeremy Mittman and Daniel Innamorati A federal judge in the Northern District of California tossed a lawsuit by the wife of an employee who allegedly contracted COVID-19 at work and transmitted the virus to her, finding that the wife’s claims are preempted by California’s worker’s compensation law.   Mrs. Corby Kuciemba claimed she contracted COVID-19 after her husband, a Victory Woodworks Inc. employee, … Continue reading Coronavirus Consort – Court Rejects Wife’s COVID-19 Suit Against Husband’s Employer

Unknown's avatarmskllpLeave a comment