Are Parts of Paid COVID-19 Leave Regulations in Jeopardy? Federal Court Rejects Parts DOL’s FFCRA Regulations, Employers Brace for Possible Fallout

On Monday, August 3, 2020, a New York federal judge issued a decision invalidating portions of the DOL’s regulations implementing the Families First Coronavirus Relief Act (“FFCRA”). The decision’s impact changes the legal landscape employers confront as they strive to comply with the FFCRA—a landscape that is unstable as the DOL and the courts sort out the legality of the disputed regulations. Read More ›

National “Strike for Black Lives” Planned for Monday, July 20

Will your employees be walking off the job on Monday?

A few unions (primarily the SEIU) and a coalition of social justice advocacy groups (primarily the Movement for Black Lives) are encouraging workers to engage in a nationwide job walk-off for eight minutes and 46 seconds this coming Monday, July 20th. It appears that longer, more formal protests will also be held that day. The action is referred to as a “Strike for Black Lives,” but coalition members are also advocating for a $15 minimum wage. Read More ›

Presidential Proclamation Extends Ban on Entry of Immigrants; Adds H-1B, L-1 and J-1 Visa Holders

Following up on Dykema’s alert from June 18, 2020, President Trump signed a Proclamation that extends his April 22, 2020, 60-day ban on immigrant workers entering the United States until December 31, 2020. In addition, it also added those with H-1B, H-2B, L-1 and J-1 visas and any foreign national accompanying them to this ban. The Proclamation states this was done to address, in part, high unemployment levels due to the coronavirus pandemic. Read More ›

U.S. Supreme Court Makes Pride Month History by Holding That Title VII Bars Job Discrimination Against LGBT+ Workers

Unexpectedly siding with the liberal wing of the Court, Justice Neil Gorsuch penned a 6-3 decision in Bostock v. Clayton County, holding that Title VII’s prohibition on sex-based discrimination also covers sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination. The Court’s decision dealt a historic victory for proponents of expanding gay and trans protections for workers under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It is clear that this decision will have wide reaching implications for employers. Read More ›

USCIS To Resume Premium Processing

In a move that will improve the time for obtaining application approvals, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) announced today it plans on resuming premium processing for Form I-129 (non-immigrant worker) and Form I-140 (immigrant worker) petitions in phases throughout June. Read More ›

Employer Considerations for Employee Return to Work

Dykema’s Labor & Employment Practice Group created a Q&A overview addressing best practices for employers to consider when businesses return to work. The document discusses frequently asked questions concerning employer recalls, pay and benefits, medical documentation, personal protective equipment (PPE) requirements, and more Read More ›

USCIS Proposes 10% Surcharge on Filing Fees

The USCIS on Friday, May 15, sent a request to Congress for $1.2 billion in emergency funding, proposing to pay it back with a 10% surcharge on application filing fees. The immigration service is entirely funded by these filing fees and has seen a significant drop in applications due to the coronavirus pandemic. It said in the statement it expects a 61% drop in revenue through the end of the fiscal year. Read More ›

Results of Dykema’s 2020 COVID-19 Employer Survey

The COVID-19 pandemic brings many increased challenges for employers, including questions regarding the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), complications with layoffs and furloughs, variances in state regulations, and uncertainty of return to work. Dykema canvassed employers to gather collective experience to learn from each other how best to address these various issues and embrace new best practices as businesses adapt to the “new normal.” Read More ›

Bringing Employees Back to Work Post-COVID-19: What Is Michigan’s Work Share Program and Should Employers Take Advantage of It?

As Michigan employers begin to think about how many employees to bring back to work, one option to consider is Michigan’s Work Share program, whereby total work hours are spread across a large group of employees as opposed to having fewer employees return to work on a full-time basis. Read More ›

Paycheck Protection Program Loan Forgiveness Not Impacted by Employees Who Won’t Return to Work, If Properly Documented

As borrowers use their loan proceeds from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) to continue or restore payroll and call back laid-off employees, they may encounter reluctance or refusal by employees to return to work, which could impede borrower’s ability to obtain full forgiveness on their PPP loan. Borrowers looking toward full forgiveness of the loan amount must maintain a staffing level[1] during the eight-week period following the funding of the loan at the level maintained during a comparative period preceding the loan, as described in Section 1106(d)(2) of the CARES Act.[2] Read More ›