In honor of this year’s Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month theme “Advancing Leaders Through Innovation,” Littler associate Ed Tsui spoke with Littler shareholder, Lavanga Wijekoon, who shared how he has been able to advance his practice at the firm through innovation.
  

In continued celebration of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Littler shareholder Alyesha Asghar speaks with associates Alan Persaud and Grace Waddell about their experience in the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity’s Pathfinders Program and the inclusive community of legal professionals they joined by participating.
  

In celebration of Pride Month, Littler shareholder Mattheus Stephens and associates Trevor Hardy and Jessica Wimsatt discuss their advocacy work for LGBTQIA+ individuals in their local communities. The group also highlights the importance of how being authentically you and sharing your story can help others find community and feel connected.
  

When President Biden withdrew from the 2024 presidential campaign last month and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to be the Democratic Party’s nominee, the move resulted in several historical firsts. It also placed a swift focus on intersectionality and identity politics as tensions mount in the final stretch of the 2024 election cycle.

Littler Principal Cindy-Ann Thomas and her guests, University of North Carolina (Charlotte) Associate Chair of Communications Studies, Professor Debra C. Smith, and Littler Shareholder Bradford Kelley, explore:

Trent Sutton and Thelma Akpan explore key reasons why employers in the APAC region should begin to think about pay equity and wage transparency or prepare to implement their own wage transparency initiatives.
 

On August 7, 2024, the City of Los Angeles unveiled its “Model Contract” under the Freelance Workers Protections Ordinance (FWPO). This ordinance, which took effect on July 1, 2023, was designed to bolster protections for freelance workers in Los Angeles.

Ensure Compliance with California Labor Code Section 2775 et seq.

Back in June, we highlighted that, from October 26, 2024, all employers in the UK will have a mandatory duty to take “reasonable steps” to prevent sexual harassment of their employees in the course of their employment.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed a bill on September 4, 2024 that requires retail employers to develop and implement workplace violence prevention training and policies, among other measures.  The law becomes effective 180 days after her signature, or March 3, 2025.

On April 11, 2022, Bill 88, Working for Workers Act, 2022 (Bill 88), received Royal Assent and became law. Among other things, Bill 88 enacted the new Digital Platform Workers’ Rights Act, 2022 (DPWRA).¹ The DWPRA did not come into force upon its enactment. 

In June 2023, the Georgia Court of Appeals held in North American Senior Benefits, LLC v. Wimmer that an employee non-solicitation covenant must contain an express geographic limitation to be enforceable.

On September 18, 2024, at the request of the State of Michigan and its attorney general, the Michigan Supreme Court clarified issues relating to future minimum wage rates and minimum cash wage rates for tip-credit employees stemming from an earlier opinion.

On August 26, 2024, the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland decided in Teamsters Local Union No. 355 v. Total Distribution Services, Inc., that the Maryland Economic Stabilization Act (“Maryland WARN Act” or “Act”) does not provide individuals with the right to file suit in their personal capacity to enforce a legal claim under the Act. The Maryland WARN Act still may be enforced by the Maryland Department of Labor.  The Act is based, in part, on its federal counterpart, the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act, with important differences. 

This article was originally posted in International Employment Lawyer.

On September 24, 2024, the Pittsburgh City Council passed a new ordinance prohibiting discrimination against an individual’s status as a medical marijuana patient. Mayor Ed Gainey signed the ordinance the same day, making it effective immediately.

The Chicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (BACP) Office of Labor Standards (COLS) recently posted updates to its website regarding minimum wage obligations, paid leave and paid sick and safe leave, new fair work week thresholds, and updated required labor notices. The compliance deadline for these obligations is July 1, 2024.

Sophie Vanhegan says employers must continue to shift culture and workplace dynamics to encourage greater awareness of and support for mental health matters. 

People Management

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Kristy Peters shares her legal insight on recent changes in labor and employment laws.

Greater Phoenix In Business Magazine

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If you have employees working in Oregon, chances are you have heard about Oregon’s Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program also known as Paid Leave Oregon (“PLO”). In addition to PLO, eligible Oregon employees may be entitled to leave under the Oregon Family Medical Leave Act (“OFLA”), Oregon Sick Time law (“OSTL”), and the federal Family Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”).

UPDATE: On August 21, 2024, the Attorney General and State of Michigan asked the Michigan Supreme Court to clarify – no later than September 15, 2024 – various rulings in its July 31, 2024 decision, e.g.: 1) How the state should calculate CPI adjustments for the preset minimum wage rates in 2025 through 2028; 2) Whether, aside from in 2025, future minimum wage rates will take effect on February 21 or January 1; and 3) Whether the court intended to have the minimum cash wage increase from 80% (2028) to 100% (2029) rather than 80% (2028), 90%

Following Disability Pride Month, we look to the past, present and future to examine how rights for people with disabilities in the workplace have developed in the UK and could develop further, before giving some practical steps for employers.

A brief history of disability laws

Lisa Shevlin and Cristin Casey review Oregon’s leave laws and offer some suggested strategies to help employers maintain compliance.

SHRM

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On July 26, 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law. On the recent 34th anniversary of the ADA, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) General Counsel Karla Gilbride and U.S.

Bradford Kelley discusses the importance of employers reviewing their leave of absence policies to ensure compliance with the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act.

Law360 

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Bradford J. Kelley and Sean O'Brien discuss how, on the 34th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Justice Department emphasize their commitment to ensuring that emerging technologies and AI comply with ADA standards.

Westlaw Today

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The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) was established in 2008 to document the history and legacy of residential schools, which were operated between the late 1800s and the late 1990s by the federal government and Christian churches as part of a federal policy to assimilate Indigenous peoples into Canadian society.

On September 24, 2024, the U.S.

Ole Kristian Olsby and Nina Elisabeth Thjømøe explain the regulations around gender equality and discrimination in the workplace.

International Law Office (ILO)

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