Vorys at Work

For decades, employers faced with ongoing workplace unionization could hold a mandatory meeting, on paid time, to educate employees on the potential impacts of unionization and offer the employer’s perspective on unionizing the workplace. A recent ruling from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), however, upends decades of precedent and means that employers will need to change how they conduct these meetings moving forward. Most importantly, employers can no longer require employees to attend. Read more in our Client Alert here: https://ow.ly/8Yis50UbfA1

Today, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas vacated the Department of Labor’s (DOL) final rule raising the salary thresholds for being exempt from overtime under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The ruling applies nationwide and means that employers do not currently need to increase employee salaries in January 2025 to maintain their exempt status. It also vacates the July 1, 2024 increase. Read more: https://lnkd.in/efx5DZCt

Effective January 1, 2025, Washington’s state minimum wage will increase to $16.66 per hour, a 2.35% increase over 2024. In addition to complying with the state’s minimum wage requirements, Washington employers also need to be aware of minimum wage requirements of local city and county ordinances that can exceed the state’s minimum wage. For example, the minimum wage in Seattle will increase to $20.76 per hour in January. Notably, increases to Washington’s minimum wage automatically increase the minimum salary thresholds for the overtime exemption and enforceability of non-compete agreements. Read more in our Client Alert here: https://ow.ly/gmOC50U4nAQ

Join us on November 7 for the annual Akron Labor and Employment Seminar. This year, we are hosting the seminar in the afternoon. Lunch will be provided and following the seminar, there will be a reception to celebrate the seminar's 20th anniversary. To learn more or register, click here: https://ow.ly/WSeU50TMNGE

In 2004, California became the first state to enact a Paid Family Leave (PFL) program. This program was designed to extend disability compensation to individuals who take time off work to care for a seriously ill child, spouse, parent, domestic partner, or to bond with a new minor child. Since then, California has made several changes to its PFL program, including expanding the program to cover individuals taking time off work to assist a military family member under covered active duty or call to covered active duty. Read our Client Alert here: https://lnkd.in/gJKvMrGr

The Massachusetts legislature recently took its first significant step to expand pay-related protections for job applicants since the state’s 2016 Pay Equity Law. Beginning July 31, 2025, most employers will now be required to disclose pay ranges in their job postings and report demographic and pay data to the state. Read more in our Client Alert here: https://lnkd.in/eCPCnm5w

The Department of State (DOS) has announced that their new online passport renewal system is fully available to the public starting today, September 18, 2024. The new system allows eligible U.S. citizens to renew their passports through a secure online process, eliminating the need to print and mail paper applications. Read our Client Alert here: https://lnkd.in/eirxppFk

On April 22, 2024, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Civil Rights (OCR) issued a Final Rule titled HIPAA Privacy Rule to Support Reproductive Health Care Privacy (Final Rule). The 2024 Final Rule narrows the general HIPAA disclosure rule that allows covered entities (providers, health plans, or health care clearinghouses) to disclose protected health information (PHI) in specified instances. This Final Rule was enacted by HHS to protect access to and privacy of reproductive health care after the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization that has led to some state abortion bans and other restrictions. Read more here: https://ow.ly/KYxr50Tm2Nv

The New York Retail Worker Safety Act was signed into law on September 4, 2024, by Governor Kathy Hochul. The Act aims to enhance the safety of retail workers in the state and is set to go into effect on March 4, 2025. The Act mandates that retail employers with ten or more employees conduct assessments of potential workplace violence hazards, adopt written workplace violence prevention policies, and provide workplace violence prevention training. Retailers are required to train their employees on conflict de-escalation and response to workplace violence. This means retailers are expected to conduct a thorough evaluation of the workplace environment and develop effective strategies to mitigate potential threats. Read more in our Client Alert here: https://ow.ly/bumz50Tl2bq

On Tuesday, August 20, 2024, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas struck down the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) non-compete ban, permanently and nationally. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/eyx8JC5y