Recently, the 4th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals issued a decision that expanded protections under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to people with gender dysphoria. While the case at issue was not employment-related, the implications of the decision are significant for all employers because it strengthens support for claims of ADA protection for individuals with gender dysphoria within the scope of employment, public accommodations, and government benefits and services.
Continue Reading Employers Need to Know Gender Dysphoria – Here’s Why

On August 29, 2022, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) examined workplace restrictions on the display of union insignia where employers require employees to wear uniforms or designated clothing. In a 3-2 ruling, the NLRB decided that Tesla, Inc. violated labor law by restricting employees from wearing pro-union t-shirts because such restriction implicitly prohibits workers from substituting union attire for required uniforms.
Continue Reading NLRB Rules that Restricting Pro-Union T-Shirts Violates Labor Law

The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals ruled last week that a contractual choice of law provision was irrelevant to whether workers were employees or independent contractors and to whether pay deductions were lawful.
Continue Reading Contractual Choice of Law Provision Can’t Shield Employer From State Wage
and Hour Class Action

On August 16, 2022, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s  (EEOC) attempt to increase the level of scrutiny given to sex discrimination cases under the Pregnancy Discrimination Act and the Civil Rights Act of 1964.  With this ruling the Appellate Court affirmed a summary judgment award given to a large retail chain by a District Court in Wisconsin.
Continue Reading Light Duty Program Excluding Pregnant Workers Given the OK by the 7thCircuit

In a continuance of the labor-friendly trajectory of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) under the current administration, the 9th Circuit recently issued a decision upholding the right of the NLRB to award legal fees to a union incurred during the collective bargaining process. This ruling should put all unionized employers on notice of the ripple effects of decisions such as this one on their own bargaining.
Continue Reading Employers Beware: Egregious Behavior During Collective Bargaining Can Lead
to Paying Attorney’s Fees to the Union

In Constellium Rolled Products Ravenswood v. NLRB, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit addressed the tension between a worker’s? Section 7 protected and concerted activity rights under the National Labor Relations Act and workplace harassment that’s forbidden by workplace anti-bias laws.  In a 2-1 ruling, the Court of Appeals held that the NLRB had adequate justification to rule that an employer violated federal labor law for firing a worker who wrote “whore board” on overtime sign-up sheets despite the employer’s contention that it was enforcing its anti-harassment policy.
Continue Reading Explicit Graffiti Case Illuminates The Necessity of Consistent and Uniform
Enforcement of Anti-Bias Workplace Rules