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Please Click HerePosted on September 29, 2020 by Sara J. Ackermann and Nicole L. Stangl
Employers need to keep abreast of the ever-changing agency rules regarding whether a worker is an “independent contractor” or an “employee.” You might ask, “why does this matter to the government?” The answer is easy: many government agencies—both state and federal—are designed solely to protect employees. The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), the Occupational Safety […]
Posted on September 22, 2020 by Ruder Ware Alumni
Today, Gov. Evers issued Executive Order #90 declaring a new public health emergency in Wisconsin due to recent surges in COVID-19 cases. He also issued a new face coverings order, Emergency Order #1. While these orders are new, they have no material changes from the mask mandate orders Gov. Evers’ issued on July 30 (check […]
Posted on September 15, 2020 by Sara J. Ackermann
Late last week, the Department of Labor issued a revised rule to address a New York federal judge’s order from this past August that struck down several provisions of the FFCRA. (For a copy of Ruder Ware’s article on that order, click here.) The order left employers confused: Should we follow the original FFCRA or […]
Posted on September 10, 2020 by Sara J. Ackermann
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) posted an update to “What You Should Know About COVID-19 and the ADA, the Rehabilitation Act, and Other EEO Laws” on September 8, 2020. The update modified the Q&As to create a user-friendly comprehensive guide addressing common questions about COVID-19 and federal equal employment opportunity laws for employers. […]
Posted on September 2, 2020 by Mary Ellen Schill
On August 8, 2020, President Donald Trump issued an executive order titled “Memorandum on Deferring Payroll Tax Obligations in Light of the Ongoing COVID-19 Disaster.” The order directed the Secretary of the Treasury to use its authority to defer the withholding, deposit, and payment of certain payroll tax obligations. On August 28, 2020 the U.S. […]
Posted on August 28, 2020 by Sara J. Ackermann
Today the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division published responses to three new frequently asked questions for regarding qualifying for paid leave under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) in relation to the reopening of schools. This list of FAQs has now hit 100 and is a great guide for employers regarding the […]
Posted on August 10, 2020 by Sara J. Ackermann
By now, many of you have heard that last week a federal judge expanded several provisions of the Family First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). We have been postponing our alert on this hoping the Department of Labor would issue some guidance for employers. So far, there has been no word from the DOL. If you […]
Posted on August 6, 2020 by Sara J. Ackermann
Wisconsin’s COVID-19 response bill (2019 Wisconsin Act 185) was enacted by the Wisconsin legislature in mid-April. It included provisions to charge unemployment claims caused by the COVID-19 public health emergency to the state’s balancing account, rather than to employers’ accounts, in order to relieve employers from increased unemployment taxes in 2021. This Act was tied […]
Posted on July 30, 2020 by Sara J. Ackermann
Governor Evers issued Emergency Order #1 on July 30, 2020 implementing a statewide face covering mandate. The face covering requirement will begin on Saturday, August 1, 2020 and will expire September 28, 2020 or by a subsequent superseding emergency order. The Order requires every individual over the age of five in Wisconsin wear a face […]
Posted on July 28, 2020 by Sara J. Ackermann
You are excited to get back to work! However, a few of your employees are not so eager to shed their jammies for pleated pants or steel-toed shoes. Can you force them to return? On the other hand, some employees who are happy to return have asked that you monitor off-duty conduct. You are getting […]