Insights

Today, December 12, the Department of Labor filed1 a Final Rule clarifying the types of benefits that must be included in the “regular rate of pay.” Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), employers must pay workers at least the...

Today, San Antonio Judge Peter Sakai granted a temporary injunction preventing the City’s Sick and Safe Leave Ordinance from taking effect. The Ordinance’s December 1, 2019, effective date has been indefinitely delayed. Judge Sakai stated that a full trial to...

Bracewell Partner Robert Nichols tackled the layers of drug testing laws and regulations affecting employers. Our webinar explored trends we see across the country and explain how to stay complaint no matter where your business operates. Special emphasis was given...

Leslie Selig Byrd and Amber Dodds discuss the increasing number of state laws and local ordinances requiring paid leave benefits to employees. Many of these require a minimum number of hours of accrued paid time off for illness or preventative...

On November 5, 2019, Bracewell attorneys Amy Karff Halevy and Becky Baker discussed the ways in which sexual harassment and discrimination laws are dramatically changing at the state and local level in the wake of the #MeToo movement. The webinar...

On September 24, 2019, the U.S. Department of Labor (“USDOL”) announced its new Final Overtime Rule. The 2019 Final Rule comes in the wake of the heavily litigated salary threshold regulations issued by the Obama Administration in 2016. The Obama...

Employers are charged with the responsibility of ensuring a safe and healthful environment for their employees, including a workplace free from violence. Unfortunately, OSHA estimates that more than 2 million individuals are affected by workplace violence every year and the...

Hot on the heels of recent updates to the DIFC employment law, DIFC Employment Law No. 2 of 2019, the DIFC has announced proposals to bring about the end of the current End of Service Gratuity (“EoSG”) regime and replace...

In Fort Bend County, Texas v. Davis (U.S. June 3, 2019), the U.S. Supreme Court (Court) held that the charge-filing requirement under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII) is not jurisdictional. The case involved an...

The much anticipated and awaited DIFC Employment Law No. 2 of 2019 (“2019 Employment Law”) will come into full force and effect on 28 August 2019 (“Effective Date”). Between now and the Effective Date, it is important that all employers...

Major changes in federal law are in the works that could significantly impact employers’ qualified retirement plans, which could require amending such plans to reflect mandatory and elective changes. The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed the Setting Every Community...

Many employers, especially those operating in a number of different states, are troubled with how to effectively cope with new and widely varying state marijuana laws. Not only are the state laws that authorize medical or recreational marijuana use proliferating...

In Parrish v Premier Directional Drilling, the Fifth Circuit recently rejected a group of directional driller consultants’ claims for overtime under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”) finding that the directional driller consultants were properly classified as independent contractors. The...

Composing separation agreements that are consistent with best practices and a host of relevant legal concerns can be a never-ending endeavor for employers - especially with case law and agency guidance continually evolving. Challenging issues involved in drafting these agreements...

Under pressure from business organizations, OSHA has issued a final rule rescinding the requirement for workplaces with 250 or more employees to electronically submit data from their OSHA 300 and 301 forms to the agency. The two forms required employers...