Retirees experiencing changes in post-employment benefits due to disability may not be able claim disability discrimination, following a recent fractured U.S. Supreme Court decision.
On Friday, June 20, 2025, the Supreme Court resolved a circuit split: whether a person who no longer holds or seeks a job with their former employer can sue that employer for alleged post-employment discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”).… Continue Reading
On May 27, 2025, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker signed the Protect Our Workers, Enforce Rights Act (POWER Act). The ordinance, found here, aims to enhance protections related to paid sick leave, wage theft, and domestic worker rights. The POWER Act also provides for anti-retaliation protections, and it authorizes the Office of Work Protection (OWP) to investigate and enforce all provisions.… Continue Reading
President Trump’s proposed budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 includes substantial reductions to the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) budget and staff. The proposed discretionary budget is slashed from $13.5 billion to $9 billion, reducing it by one third. The number of employees is reduced by nearly 4,000 from 14,855 to 10,879—or a more than 25% cut. … Continue Reading
The 2024 EEO-1 Component 1 data collection window opened on May 20, 2025, and the deadline to file the 2024 EEO-1 Component 1 report is June 24, 2025. Filers should note that the collection window is shorter this year, and that beginning this year, all communications sent to filers will be electronic.… Continue Reading
On April 30, 2025, Congressional Representatives Stephanie Bice (R-Oklahoma) and Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pennsylvania) introduced the More Paid Leave for More Americans Act in the House of Representatives.
The bill would develop a three-year pilot program administered by the federal Department of Labor (DOL) that would provide grant funding to states that establish paid family leave programs in partnership with private companies.… Continue Reading
Within the last two months, both the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the armed services have followed Trump Administration directives to narrow or eliminate protections for transgender individuals.
EEOC Withdraws Lawsuits. Aligning with Executive Order 14168 (Jan. 20, 2025) announcing that the federal government will recognize only male/female as the two “immutable biological classifications,” the EEOC has deprioritized transgender discrimination charges and moved to dismiss at least seven lawsuits brought on behalf of transgender employees.… Continue Reading
During the Biden administration, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued a final regulation (the “2024 Rule”) seeking to increase the salary threshold for overtime eligibility for the “white-collar” exemption (also referred to as the “EAP” exemption – executive, administrative, and professional) and the “highly-compensated employee” (HCE) exemption under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).… Continue Reading
A three-judge panel of the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit recently issued a decision in Kuklenski v. Medtronic USA, Inc., No. 24-1310 (8th Cir. Apr. 9, 2025), finding that the definition of “employee” in the Minnesota Human Rights Act (“MHRA”) requires physical presence within Minnesota; virtual presence and work-related contacts with the state are not sufficient.… Continue Reading
On March 24, 2025, the U.S. Department of Labor announced the appointment of Catherine Eschbach as Director of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), the agency charged with overseeing regulation and enforcement of affirmative action laws for government contractors and subcontractors. Eschbach signaled a shift in the agency’s mission, stating the OFCCP “will restore a merit-based system to provide all workers with equal opportunity.”… Continue Reading
Following President Trump’s issuance of Executive Order 14148 on January 20, 2025, which rescinded 78 executive actions taken by Former President Biden, the President rescinded an additional slew of Biden-era executive actions on March 14. Among the 18 executive actions revoked is a duo of Executive Orders which applied to federal contractors and subcontractors and will impact labor and employment issues: