On May 16, 2023, the Minnesota Legislature passed SF 3035, which will make significant changes to various employment-related laws. The Governor is expected to sign the bill into law in the very near future, which would make the law effective July 1, 2023. Minnesota employers should be aware of three major components of SF 3035:…

As promised, today the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued a proposed rule under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) on the misclassification of employees as independent contractors. The proposed rule would replace the Trump-era rule of 2021, which has made it easier for employers to classify workers as independent contractors rather than employees by…

To our dedicated followers, if you are keeping score, we last reported that the U.S. Supreme Court temporarily blocked the Emergency Temporary Standard dictating larger employers implement a vaccine or testing mandate in its decision on January 13, 2022. (Supreme Court Blocks OSHA ETS But Upholds CMS Vaccine Mandate).  OSHA announced today that it is…

On January 7, 2022, the United States Supreme Court heard arguments on two COVID-19 related federal vaccine or test mandates. Those arguments centered on whether the Court should enjoin the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (“OSHA”) Emergency Temporary Standard (“ETS”) on COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (“CMS”)…

Back in November, we informed you that a federal court in Missouri temporarily halted the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) rule, requiring mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policies for most employers participating in Medicare and Medicaid programs, in 10 states, including North Dakota.  After that decision, a separate federal court in Louisiana issued a nationwide…

On December 17, 2021, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals issued an opinion, dissolving the stay on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s emergency temporary standard (ETS) for large employers. What does this mean?   This means OSHA’s ETS rule, requiring COVID-19 vaccinations or weekly testing, is back on and in effect for employers with 100+…

OSHA Vaccine-or-Testing ETS On November 12, 2021, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ordered that OSHA stay implementation and enforcement of its COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing Emergency Temporary Standard (“ETS”), which requires private employers with 100+ employees to have vaccine-or-testing policies. The ETS is stayed until an appellate court further reviews the pending ETS to…

Still trying to figure out the newly issued large employer Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) requiring COVID-19 vaccination or weekly testing issued last week? Well, a federal appeals court temporarily blocked its enforcement, at least in Mississippi, Texas, and Louisiana, causing many employers to ask “what next”? The Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a…

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) released its much-anticipated COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS), which will be effective November 5. The ETS requires all employers with 100 or more employees to either (1) mandate COVID-19 vaccinations; or (2) require unvaccinated employees to wear masks and test for COVID-19 on at least…

Early on in the COVID-19 pandemic, there was speculation of a baby boom in the coming months due to couples spending virtually all their time at home together, perhaps with too much “downtime.”  An immediate baby boom ended up not occurring, according to a recent study by University of Michigan researchers.  The slight pause in…