The U.S. Department of Labor has revised OSHA’s National Emphasis Program (NEP) on outdoor and indoor heat-related hazards, signaling that OSHA will continue enforcing heat safety through inspections rather than the rollout of a new federal heat standard.
The updated NEP, which takes effect immediately and continues through April 10, 2031, refines how OSHA targets employers for heat-related inspections when the heat index is expected to be 80 degrees or higher.
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Instead of a Federal Heat Rule
Labor and Employment Law Update
Welcome to the Labor and Employment Law Update where attorneys from SmithAmundsen blog about management side labor and employment issues. We cover topics including addressing harassment and discrimination in the workplace, developing labor law, navigating through ADA(AA), FMLA and workers’ compensation issues, avoiding wage and hour landmines, key legislative, case law and regulatory changes and much more! Learn more about our firm at www.salawus.com.
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Latest from Labor and Employment Law Update
Federal Court Draws the Line on PIPS After Muldrow: A Win for Employers in Walsh v. HNTB
In the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2024 Muldrow v. City of St. Louis decision, the Court expanded the legal standard for what qualifies as an “adverse employment action” by pivoting from asking whether a change to an employee’s terms or conditions of employment was “material” to whether the change left the employee worse off in those terms or conditions. Unsurprisingly, employers saw a surge of challenges to everyday management decisions in the immediate aftermath.
The First Circuit’s recent decision in Walsh v. HNTB Corp., however, offers an important clarification that should hopefully serve as a blueprint for other courts dealing with…
Continue Reading Federal Court Draws the Line on PIPS After Muldrow: A Win for Employers in
Walsh v. HNTB
The Costs of Form I-9 Mistakes Just Went Up Drastically for Employers
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) recently posted a new factsheet making significant changes to Form I-9 inspections and which “mistakes” are correctable under the Immigration and Nationality Act § 274A (“Immigration Act”). ICE reclassified many Form I-9 errors from “technical” to “substantive.” The impact is that clerical mistakes that employers formerly could correct during a Form I-9 audit are no longer correctable and instead are subject to immediate fines during a Form I-9 audit.
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Register Now – Amundsen Davis Supervisor and Management Training Series
Cultivate a thriving culture and drive your business to new heights by transforming your managers into dynamic leaders. Amundsen Davis’s Supervisor and Management Training Series is perfectly crafted for ambitious mid to senior-level managers from any sector to thrive.
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Why U.S. Employment Law Is So Frustrating—and What Employers Can Do About It
If U.S. employment laws feel impossible to keep up with, you’re not imagining things. Between federal, state, and local laws and shifting agency guidance, even well-intentioned employers can find themselves in violation of labor and employment laws without realizing it.
You probably can’t fix the system, but you can protect your business from unnecessary risk and expense. The key is investing in prevention, empowering the right people, and acting decisively before small issues escalate.
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It
Employers Beware: Courts Are Scrutinizing Mid-Lawsuit Arbitration Agreements
The Ninth Circuit has warned employers that introducing a mandatory arbitration agreement during active class litigation, particularly when done through poor or misleading communication, can invalidate the agreement entirely. In Avery v. TEKsystems, decided January 28, 2026, the court affirmed a district court order refusing to enforce an arbitration policy introduced late in the lawsuit. The court found that the communications used to roll it out were misleading, one-sided, and fundamentally subverted the class action process.
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Agreements
Wisconsin Signals Limitations on Employer Liability for Employee Data Breaches
Under Wisconsin law, employees must first be the victim of identity theft or other concrete, imminent harm to have standing to sue employer for data breach. Mere risk of future data misuse is not enough to establish standing.
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Breaches
Navigating the Risks of Artificial Intelligence in the Workplace: Key Takeaways for Employers
With AI transforming everyday HR operations comes major opportunities and significant risks for employers. As these tools become more embedded in workplace decision‑making, they also raise serious concerns about fairness, accountability, and legal exposure. Understanding how AI works and where it can go wrong is now essential for any employer using or considering these technologies.
Our recent webcast explored these developments and offered practical guidance for employers implementing or considering AI solutions. Below are several high‑level takeaways.
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Takeaways for Employers
Managing IP Risks Through the Employment Lifecycle
Among a company’s most valuable assets is its intellectual property (IP). Though often intangible, IP—innovations, concepts, designs, processes, and more—offers companies a competitive edge in the marketplace. Protecting these assets is essential for safeguarding revenue, accelerating growth, and preventing competitors from gaining an unfair advantage—and your employees can be an inside threat.
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Seventh Circuit: Termination Following Same-Day FMLA Request Was Not Retaliation
Many employers hesitate to discipline or terminate for misconduct if the employee has recently engaged in protected activity, such as requesting FMLA, seeking an accommodation, or filing a complaint. Suspicious timing can easily lead to a retaliation claim, so the concern is understandable. But hesitation has costs too for an organization—no accountability for the misconduct, past practice is now undermined, and the employee is emboldened to commit more policy violations.
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Retaliation
State Laws Impacting Employers in 2026
In our latest national state law update, we review state laws that have gone into effect or were enacted in 2026. Below is a non-exhaustive summary of major state laws that have gone into effect so far in 2026. Employers should be mindful of and continue to follow their state and local laws.
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Federal Court Blocks NLRB Standard That Made Union Recognition Easier
A federal appeals court has invalidated a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) standard that eased a union’s path to recognition. On March 6, 2026, the Sixth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled that the NLRB overstepped its authority when it created a new framework for issuing bargaining orders in Cemex Construction Materials Pacific, LLC. For employers in the Sixth Circuit (Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky, and Tennessee), this ruling limits the NLRB’s ability to impose bargaining orders under the Cemex standard.
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Understanding the New DOL Proposed Rule on Independent Contractor Classification
A proposed rule from the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”), published Feb. 26, could once again change how employers classify workers as employees or as independent contractors. With the constantly shifting tests and rules, every change, including the presently proposed DOL rule, creates the risk of mistakes that may expose businesses to audits, investigations, and lawsuits, potentially resulting in years of back pay and liquidated damages liability.
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Classification
Mistakes Employers Make During the ADA Accommodation Process and How to Avoid Them
Ensuring compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and state-level disability laws, which require covered employers to provide reasonable accommodations to qualified employees with disabilities unless doing so imposes undue hardship, remains a critical employer obligation. Despite decades of established guidance, ADA accommodation issues continue to drive a significant volume of claims and enforcement actions from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and state agencies. These disputes often arise not because employers refuse or are unable to provide accommodation, but because they mismanage the process or overlook key compliance steps.
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Avoid Them
Union Membership Rate in U.S. Held Steady in 2025
Despite a new administration in D.C. and a push by the executive branch to reign in federal worker unions, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics finally released figures showing that the percentage amongst all U.S. workers who were part of a labor union ticked up ever so slightly from 9.9 percent in 2024, to 10 percent in 2025. With respect to the private workforce, that percentage held at 5.9 percent (same as 2024).
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ADA Compliance for Model Home Sales Offices: Solutions for Residential Home Builders
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits discrimination and guarantees persons with disabilities have equal access to purchase goods and services. Title II of the ADA governs places of “public accommodation,” which includes residential home builders sales offices. Although single family and model homes are not considered places of public accommodation, ADA complexities arise when home builders use some or part of a model home as a sales office.
In these common situations, Title II may apply, triggering accessibility requirements. Residential builders should consider how to minimize compliance costs and operational disruptions while meeting ADA obligations when using a model…
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Builders
