Shawe Rosenthal’s Guide to the Family & Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI) Program Overview

This law applies to all employers with employees in Maryland. It provides eligible employees with 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave, with the possibility of an additional 12 weeks of paid parental leave (for a possible total of 24 weeks of paid leave). This $1.6 billion program will be administered by the State and funded by contributions from employers and employees. The Maryland Department of Labor has created a new FAMLI Division to administer the program, and it will issue regulations to implement the provisions of the law.

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 Noteworthy

Hey Employers – This Is What Federal Agencies Are Planning to Do in 2023!

Happy New Year – or is it for employers? The federal agencies are planning a slew of actions that will impact the workplace, some of which may pose interesting challenges for businesses. For more, click here.

January 31, 2023
The EEOC Updates Its Resource Document for Hearing Disabilities in the Workplace

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has a series of Q&A documents addressing particular disabilities in the workplace, one of which is an updated Hearing Disabilities in the Workplace and the Americans with Disabilities Act. For more, click here.

January 31, 2023
D.C. Circuit Strikes Down Three Provisions of NLRB’s 2019 Election Rule

A divided panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit struck down three provisions of the National Labor Relations Board’s (“NLRB”) 2019 election rule (the “2019 Rule”) that amended policies and procedures related to union elections. In AFL-CIO v. NLRB, however, the D.C. Circuit, upheld two provisions and concluded that the rule, as a whole, was not arbitrary and capricious. The upheld provisions will be remanded to the federal district court where it will hear the AFL-CIO’s other arguments against the two provisions. For more, click here.

January 31, 2023
The EEOC’s Proposed Strategic Enforcement Plan – What Employers Can Expect for the Next Four Years

On January 10, 2023, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) released its draft Strategic Enforcement Plan for 2023-2027, which gives employers valuable insight into the Commission’s top priorities in the coming years. While the draft plan is open for comment through February 9, (and you may submit comments here) the final plan is likely to look very similar to the current draft, which outlines four key subject matter priorities, in addition to numerous operational priorities. For more, click here.

January 31, 2023
Why Do You Need a Handbook Disclaimer and What Should Be In It Anyway?

A recent Alabama state court decision offers valuable lessons to all employers with employee handbooks (not just those in Alabama) on the importance of a properly drafted handbook disclaimer. For more, click here.

January 31, 2023
Support/Service Animals in the Workplace – What Should Employers Do? by Courtney Amelung,

Support/Service Animals in the Workplace – What Should Employers Do? by Courtney Amelung,

January 25, 2023
The Holidays – and the Flu/COVID – Are Coming, and the CDC Offers Tips on Reducing Risk (and We Offer Tips to Employers).

In light of the upcoming holiday season, involving an increase in indoor social events, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued guidance, Reduce Your Risk from Respiratory Viruses This Holiday Season. Although not specific to the workplace, employers may wish to encourage/remind employees of basic precautions to reduce […]

November 27, 2024
DOL Releases Employer Guide for “Skills-First” Hiring

This month, the U.S. Department of Labor published a guide for employers on “skills-first” or “skills-based” hiring practices, which it defines as “the hiring or promotion of workers around skills, knowledge and abilities that workers can demonstrate they have, regardless of how or where they attained those skills.” The guide […]

November 27, 2024
NLRB Restricts Employers’ Ability to Comment on the Impact of Unionization

In yet another case that upends decades-long precedent, the National Labor Relations Board issued a decision that significantly limits the ability of employers to make statements about the potential impact of unionization in the workplace. In 1985, the Board issued Tri-Cast, Inc., under which most employer statements about the impact of […]

November 27, 2024
DOL Offers Guidance on When Per Diem Expense Reimbursements May Be Excluded from Employee’s Regular Rate

This month, the U.S. Department of Labor issued an opinion letter on the issue of when daily expense reimbursements may be excluded from an employee’s regular rate of pay under the Fair Labor Standards Act. As discussed in our article on the FMLA opinion letter that was also released this […]

November 27, 2024
DOL Says that Employees May Use FMLA Leave to Participate in a Clinical Trial

This month, the U.S. Department of Labor released an opinion letter asserting that employees may use leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act for treatment of a serious health condition as part of a clinical trial. Opinion letters respond to an inquiry to the DOL from an employer or […]

November 27, 2024
Maryland’s New Heat Stress Standards: What Employers Need to Know

Back in 2020, the Maryland General Assembly enacted a law that required the State Commissioner of Labor and Industry to develop regulations (by October 1, 2022) to protect workers from heat stress. Rather delayed, the Maryland Department of Labor finally issued the heat stress regulations (or standards) on September 20, […]

October 30, 2024

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