On Jan. 15, 2021, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) approved a revised version of its Compliance Manual’s section on religious discrimination in the workplace. The guidance in the manual does not carry the force and effect of law, but gives...
Employment Law
New EEOC rules for conciliation process in work discrimination claims
At our law firm, we represent employees and job applicants who experienced unlawful employment discrimination, harassment or retaliation. Victims may decide to file claims against their employers with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the...
Sexual harassment of servers increasing during COVID-19, survey finds
Restaurant servers have historically been at high risk of sexual harassment by customers. This is especially difficult for workers to navigate because of their financial reliance on tips. A new report by One Fair Wage, a nonprofit organization that advocates for...
Are you wondering if your employer broke the law when it fired you?
Several reasons for discharging someone from their job are illegal under state or federal law, but even if the termination seemed unfair or mean spirited, it may or may not have been unlawful. It is important that any employee in this position speak with legal counsel...
Federal protections for nursing mothers in the workforce
Federal labor law contains protections for the rights of mothers to take the breaks they need to express breast milk at work. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) directs that employers give nursing mothers reasonable breaks from their duties to express milk for a year...
DOL proposes new independent contractor test under FLSA rules
Federal law protects certain employees’ wage and benefits rights, especially those to minimum wage and overtime. Independent contractors, however, do not have the same rights and have more of an arm’s length relationship with the businesses or other kinds of employers...
Employers can probably require a COVID-19 vaccine, with exceptions
It seems that the news changes every day about if and when a COVID-19 vaccination is going to become a reality for the American public. Employers are already thinking about how to keep their workplaces safer in this pandemic, especially as industries begin to slowly...
Worker safety organization publishes reopening guidelines
As governors across the country ease lockdown restrictions, America’s quarantined populations begin to return to work. With the federal government leaving state governors to establish a reopening policy, many lawmakers turn to the National Council for Occupational...
Pandemic-related lawsuits expected to increase among workers
In Virginia, lawmakers recently passed a series of workplace mandates designed to protect workers from COVID-19. The mandates, which are part of what’s called an “emergency temporary standard,” create impermanent measures that employers must abide by for the duration...
Tips and clarifications for Maryland’s workers during the COVID-19 pandemic
Both the federal government and the state of Maryland have been under declared states of emergency since early 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. During this time frame, Maryland’s recorded COVID-19 cases and deaths have risen from the first three cases confirmed...