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Please Click HerePosted on May 20, 2014 by Ruder Ware Alumni
Mary Ellen Schill and I were talking about the e-alert that we posted April 19 on the right of reimbursement for self-insured group health plans under ERISA in light of the US Airways v. McCutcheon case decided by the U.S. Supreme Court on April 16. A couple of points caught our attention. The scope of […]
Posted on May 20, 2014 by Ruder Ware Alumni
This past month, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) caught the employer community off guard with an unexpected, union-friendly pronouncement, one that provides labor unions free reign to infiltrate non-union workplaces. On April 5, 2013, OSHA publicly announced [through a letter of interpretation/Standard Interpretation to the United Steelworkers Union dated February 21, 2013, […]
Posted on May 20, 2014 by Ruder Ware Alumni
A federal district court decision has struck down an administrative rule proposed by the National Labor Relations Board that would require all private sector employers to notify their employees of the right to join a union. The recent decision held that this rule was not lawful and constituted an unreasonable exercise of administrative rule-making powers […]
Posted on May 20, 2014 by Ruder Ware Alumni
President Obama has asked the United States Supreme Court to reverse a lower court decision and hold that the President’s appointment of three members to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) was constitutional and proper. These appointments took place in January, 2012 at a time when the Congress was in a recess between sessions of […]
Posted on May 20, 2014 by Ruder Ware Alumni
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission enforces federal laws relating to the employment relationship, particularly in the area of discrimination. The EEOC recently issued a new Strategic Enforcement Plan which gives employers a clear indication of what will be the focus of investigations by the EEOC. The EEOC said they have limited funds so they will […]
Posted on May 20, 2014 by Ruder Ware Alumni
BYOD (short for Bring Your Own Device) policies are all the rage these days. This is understandable given the ostensible BYOD benefits bounced around as conventional wisdom including, but not limited to: (1) organizational cost savings [BYOD proponents claim it’s cheaper for companies if employees purchase their own smart phones]; (2) fostering an environment of […]
Posted on May 20, 2014 by Ruder Ware Alumni
We are seeing more and more requests from an applicant to have some type of accommodation for the individual to be considered for a vacant position. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission recently issued an informal letter to a public employer outlining the duties of an employer to make an accommodation for an applicant that suffers […]
Posted on May 20, 2014 by Ruder Ware Alumni
Recently, while paging through a set of “boilerplate,” employer FMLA notification forms, I noticed a field/blank for employers to insert how frequently an employee seeking FMLA leave is to provide updates concerning return-to-work status. Believe it or not, my very next thought was about Dan Rathers’ 1986 mugging and the R.E.M. song Rathers’ mugging later […]
Posted on May 20, 2014 by Ruder Ware Alumni
Recent action by the United States Supreme Court has clarified the duty of accommodation that an employer must make under the Americans with Disabilities Act. The action of the U.S. Supreme Court was to deny review of a 7th Circuit Court of Appeals decision involving United Airlines. The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals decision held […]
Posted on May 20, 2014 by Ruder Ware Alumni
As a labor negotiator, I rely upon coffee to help me through the long days and long evenings that often occur when negotiating a new labor agreement. I have come to hold coffee in highest esteem as my best friend. I recently read that coffee may deter the chemicals that are responsible for memory loss […]