As of December 31, 2023, all employees physically working in Chicago for at least two hours in a two-week period will earn both one hour of paid leave and one hour of paid sick leave for every 35 hours worked, pursuant to an ordinance passed by the Chicago City Council on November 9, 2023. The new ordinance expands the current ordinance, which requires employers to provide only paid sick leave to employees.
While California healthcare workers will see their pay increase over the next several years thanks to a new state law, industry analysts say more must be done to address healthcare workforce shortages. In this Bloomberg Law article, Michelle Strowhiro offers insight into the pressures facing healthcare providers.
On October 4, 2023, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 616 into law, officially expanding the Healthy Workplaces, Healthy Families Act of 2014, California’s paid sick leave law. Effective January 1, 2024, California employers must begin providing eligible employees with at least five days or 40 hours of paid sick leave, increased from the previous minimum of three days or 24 hours. Employers with combined paid time off policies should review and update their policies as needed.
Asserting that many employers have improperly claimed Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC) refunds, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released two new announcements that address ERTC claims. Following these new IRS announcements, most employers should consult their legal and tax advisors and consider filing protective refund claims to preserve their employment and income tax positions and to defend against potential IRS penalties and interest.
The recent decision in Ponticelli Limited v Gallagher provides a salient reminder that the right to participate in a share incentive plan can transfer to a new employer under the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations. The right applies even if the employee’s right to participate in the plan arose outside of the contract of employment. The employee will be treated as a leaver under their old employer/transferor’s scheme, and the transferee employer must then provide a scheme of substantial equivalence for the employee to participate in post-transfer.
While this is a Scottish case, the decision is binding on the employment tribunals throughout the UK.
Market volatility and other business disruptions can force employers to make difficult personnel decisions around reductions in force (RIFs). These may include reducing employee headcount, eliminating entire departments, hiring independent consultants or implementing hiring freezes to ease potential financial burden.
During this webinar in our series exploring best practices for workforce management in volatile markets, Pankit Doshi, Lisa Loesel and Saniya Ahmed offered strategies to follow when making restructuring decisions.
Illinois recently amended its Equal Pay Act to require employers with 15 or more workers to include pay and benefits information for each covered job posting. There is, however, a delayed start date: This amendment will take effect on January 1, 2025.
The National Labor Relations Board recently issued a decision that undercuts union and nonunion employers’ ability to enforce longstanding work policies. In general, this decision will lead to increased unfair labor practice charges, investigations and litigation.
The Biden administration may eliminate a US Department of Labor rule that would have modified how the US government sets prevailing wages for H-1B professionals and employment-based green card applicants, according to this Forbes article. The Trump administration originally sought to use the wage rule to make it more challenging for foreign-born scientists and engineers to seek employment.
Governments and employers throughout the world are paying more attention to environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) issues. That’s according to the International Bar Association Global Employment Institute’s (IBA GEI) Eleventh Annual Global Report.
The report is based on data from lawyers in 55 countries and covers a range of topics, including artificial intelligence, mental health, cybersecurity, immigration and compensation. McDermott Partner and IBA GEI co-chair Todd A. Solomon served as an editor, and McDermott Partner Abigail M. Kagan contributed to the report.