By:  Lizbeth V. West, Esq.

Effective March 8, 2013, those employers covered under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) will be required to comply with the recently issued regulations from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). The majority of the new regulations relate to the FMLA’s military leave provisions and the Airline Flight Crew Technical Corrections Act. However, there are a few other minor changes and requirements, including the requirement that employers replace their FMLA poster with an updated poster by March 8, 2013.Continue Reading Are You Ready For Your New Compliance Obligations Under The FMLA?

By:   Chelcey E. Lieber

The California Supreme Court recently granted review of Richey v. Autonation, Inc., a Court of Appeal case that vacated an arbitration award in favor of the employer. The Court rejected the employer’s argument that it had an “honest belief” that an employee was misusing his CFRA/FMLA leave, and this honest belief justified the employee’s discharge. We previously discussed the Richey case here https://www.thelelawblog.com/2012/11/articles/labor-law/the-continuing-danger-of-terminating-employees-on-leave-an-honest-belief-that-leave-is-being-misused-is-not-always-enough-richey-v-autonation-inc/ on our blog.Continue Reading California Supreme Court Grants Review of CFRA/FMLA Case Richey v. Autonation, Inc.

By:    Duyen T. Nguyen

In Young v. UPS, 2013 U.S. App. Lexis 530, a UPS worker sued her employer for sex and race discrimination under Title VII and for disability discrimination under the ADA on the basis of her pregnancy. On January 9, 2013, the Fourth Circuit Appellate Court issued a decision affirming the district court’s grant of summary judgment for the employer.Continue Reading The Fourth Circuit Court Says Pregnant Employee Not Entitled to Accommodation

By:   Brendan J. Begley

On Wednesday, the California Court of Appeal affirmed a casino’s tip-pooling arrangement for its card-dealer employees in Avidor v. Sutter’s Place, Inc. That published decision (available at this link) brings to mind verses from Kenny Rogers’ old country song, The Gambler: “You got to know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em, know when to walk away and know when to run.” If the songwriter had known about the Avidor lawsuit, that refrain could have added, “You got to know when California law allows tip-pooling for employees, and know when it don’t.”Continue Reading Don’t Gamble On Tip-Pooling Arrangements

By:  Shauna N. Correia

Employers should be planning ahead for the January 1, 2014 implementation of the “Employer Shared Responsibility” provisions of the Affordable Care Act. That is because the average number of workers a company employed during 2013 will determine whether an employer is a “large employer,” and must offer minimum levels of health insurance to its employees, for 2014. The Internal Revenue Service has now issued a 144-page proposed rule and added a “Q&A” section to the IRS website (found here) geared toward explaining how it will decide whether an employer is required to offer affordable health insurance and what levels of coverage must be provided.Continue Reading IRS Gives Employers Guidance on the Employer Shared Responsibility Provisions of the Affordable Care Act