Once again, the EEOC updated its question and answer series on how federal antidiscrimination laws impact workplace issues arising during the COVID-19 pandemic; this time addressing whether employers can test workers for coronavirus infection before they enter (or re-enter) the workplace.
This message is not our typical advice about emerging labor and employment law issues. Instead I write to remind you of the challenges that our courts are facing and for those interested in looking at the legal issues, some of which impact our non-work lives. Below I am including a link to a program aired this week by the National Judicial College in Reno, Nevada, where I have the honor to chair the Board of Trustees.
The Department of Labor is catching up to the flurry of emergency legislation that has come out of Washington and has issued additional guidance on expanded family medical leave requirements created by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFRCA”). In an effort to clarify some of the confusion surrounding this emergency legislation, we have provided answers to some of the common questions.
Effective February 6, 2020, New York has reduced the amount of time striking workers must wait before they are eligible to receive unemployment benefits. While New York is one of only a handful of states to allow strikers to receive unemployment benefits, the seven-week waiting period that has applied until now has served as a deterrent to strikes.
As was widely reported, today the President will sign the CARES Act. This unprecedented economic relief act provides help for individuals and businesses on a number of fronts, including emergency lending for businesses, which is the focus of this update.
As part of the $2 trillion pandemic stimulus Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) expected to be passed and signed in to law today, there are loan opportunities for “mid-sized” businesses and not for profit organizations with between 500 and 10,000 employees.
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act creates paid sick leave and paid family medical leave for private sector employers of less than 500 employees for qualifying events. We are updating our previous guidance about these laws to bring you the most current information as the federal agencies involved in implementation issue their own guidance.
We provided updates throughout the week regarding the key elements of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act signed into law on March 18, 2020. Although the effective date of the law is April 2, 2020, the law authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to allow earlier access to the tax credits.
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act has been enacted and signed into law and will be effective no later than April 2, 2020. Congress failed to explain what “no later than” means in this context, though the Secretary of the Treasury is authorized to select the date on which the tax credits shall begin. This is an updated e-alert from the one we issued last night.