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• Does your workplace foster a culture of safety? New OSHA memo relaxes rule on drug testing policies and incentive programs By Jourdan Day    In 2016 we reported on OSHA’s anti-retaliation rule related to the reporting of illnesses and injuries. The rule prohibited employer retaliation against employees reporting workplace injuries and illnesses, and implementation of policies that discourage accurate reporting. At the time the rule was finalized, OSHA clearly indicated it would be interpreted strictly and would affect employer incentive programs and post-accident drug testing policies. On Oct. 11, 2018, OSHA published a memorandum changing its position, taking a significantly more relaxed approach on this... More
• New tax credit rewards companies that offer paid FMLA leave in 2018 and 2019 By Arslan Sheikh    The federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 contains an often-overlooked tax credit for employers that provide qualifying types of paid leave to their full- and part-time employees. The credit is available to any employer, regardless of size, if: The employer provides at least 2 weeks of paid family and medical leave annually for employees who have been with the company for at least 12 months The paid leave is at least 50 percent of the wages normally paid... More
• Voluntary abandonment doctrine strengthened by Ohio Supreme Court By Rebecca Kopp Levine    On Sept. 27, 2018,the Ohio Supreme Court took the unusual step of overturning two prior decisions in an attempt to clarify a confusing aspect of workers’ compensation law. A long-standing tenet of workers’ compensation law, temporary total disability compensation, is intended to compensate an injured worker when they are unable to work due to a work-related injury. To be entitled to temporary total disability compensation, an injured worker must be medically unable to work and the inability... More
• Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection issues revised FCRA summary of rights form By Brian Hall    Section 301 of the federal Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief and Consumer Protection Act, which was signed into law on May 24, 2018, amended the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), effective Sept. 21, 2018, to require consumer reporting agencies (such as those that employers use for applicant and employee background check purposes) to include new language on the Summary of Rights form that explains a consumer’s right to obtain a security freeze to protect against identity theft. The statutory... More
• Sixth Circuit decision shows similarly situated employees must truly be similarly situated in discrimination cases By Adam Bennett    Employers facing workplace discrimination claims in the 6th Circuit should find some comfort in the court’s recent decision in DeBra v. JP Morgan Chase & Co., which endorses a heightened standard for plaintiffs to demonstrate that they were treated less favorably than similarly situated employees outside their protected class. The plaintiff worked as a bank teller for Chase until she was terminated for on-the-job errors, such as overpaying customers, leaving bank funds unsecured on counters and accidentally failing to... More
• U.S. Department of Labor issues new opinion letters covering FMLA and FLSA issues By Brian Hall    On Tuesday, August 28, 2018, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) announced the issuance of six new opinion letters covering a variety of issues under the FMLA and FLSA. Specifically, the opinion letters address the following issues: “No-fault” attendance policies and roll-off of attendance points under the FMLA Organ donors’ qualification for FMLA leave Compensability of time spent voluntarily attending benefit fairs and certain wellness activities Application of the commissioned sales employee overtime exemption to a company that... More
• Sixth Circuit holds that employer was not required to extend lunch breaks for exercise as reasonable accommodation By Rebecca Kopp Levine    Many people exercise daily, and for Shannan McDonald, her exercise was prescribed by her physician for her genetic disorder.  McDonald, employed as a receptionist for UAW-GM Center for Human Resources (CHR), regularly exercised in her employer’s on-site gym during her lunch break.  Per the collective bargaining agreement that covered her employment, each year CHR permitted employees to elect annually whether to take a 60 minute lunch break or a 30 minute lunch break with two other 15... More
• Sixth Circuit upholds agreement to arbitrate FLSA claims on individual basis By Brian Hall    On Aug. 15, 2018, the Sixth Circuit in Gaffers v. Kelly Services, Inc. held that the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) does not render an arbitration agreement that requires claims to be brought individually illegal and unenforceable. Following the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Epic Systems Corp. v. Lewis, which held that a federal statute does not displace the Arbitration Act unless it includes a “clear and manifest” congressional intent to make individual arbitration agreements unenforceable, the court... More
• More news from the NLRB on work rules By Arslan Sheikh    The Obama-era NLRB sometimes gave employers fits with decisions and guidance concerning employer work rules. It was common for the Obama-era Board to strike down fairly common, neutral work rules, often based on the idea that employees might interpret the rules to restrict employee rights. It did not take long for Trump-era NLRB appointees, however, to put their stamp on National Labor Relations Act law (see our article about some early actions by Trump NLRB appointees). The current... More
• Sixth Circuit finds insurance coverage for phishing losses By Brian Hall    The risk of loss due to some form of cyberattack should prompt employers to consider insuring against those losses. But, not all cyberinsurance policies are created equal. That point is made abundantly clear in the recent 6th Circuit case, American Tooling Center, Inc. v. Travelers Casualty and Surety Co. of America. The plaintiff, American Tooling Center, Inc. (ATC) is a Michigan-based manufacturer that subcontracts some of its manufacturing work to a Chinese vendor. During a time period that... More