The #MeToo and Times Up movements may be coming to your bargaining table in the near future. Earlier this month, Netflix and a major Hollywood union, the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), negotiated a contract containing anti-harassment protections in the form of prohibiting auditions from being held in private residences or hotel rooms. The…
A federal lawsuit may determine whether employees have the right to keep firearms in their cars while at work. On March 10, 2018, the West Virginia Legislature passed The Business Liability Protection Act (“the Act”), which has become commonly known as the “The Gun Bill” or “The Parking Lot Bill.” This legislation imposes liability and significant restrictions on an employer’s ability to manage…
A federal judge ruled today that employers are required to provide 2018 pay data to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission by September 30 detailing how much they paid workers as well as the number of hours worked. The data must be broken down by gender, race and ethnicity. The judge also ordered the EEOC to collect a second year of pay data and is allowing the Commission to decide…
Two member of Jackson Kelly’s Labor and Employment Group, Wendy Adkins and Jill Hall, will both present at the WV Chamber’s 2019 Human Resources Conference to be held on Tuesday and Wednesday, April 9 and 10, 2019, at the Charleston Marriott Town Center, Charleston, WV. Both will be giving presentations on Wednesday, April 10. Jill will be presenting "Conducting Pay Equity Audits" and Wendy's…
After months of speculation, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) unveiled new overtime pay requirements on Thursday, March 7, 2019. The new proposal would raise the new salary threshold for white collar overtime exemptions will move to $35,308 per year under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
Workers who earn less than $35,308 per year (or $679 per week) would be automatically eligible for overtime pay…
On February 8, 2019, the Fourth Circuit, which covers West Virginia, ruled that false rumors in the workplace can give rise to liability for an employer for a hostile work environment. The case Parker v. Reema Consulting Services, Inc., begins innocently enough. The Plaintiff in this case was hired as a low-level clerk for Reema Consulting, but quickly rose through the ranks, receiving six…
In a decision that will benefit companies that rely on independent contractors, particularly ride-share services, the National Labor Relations Board issued an opinion last week reverting to its pre-Obama-Era standard for determining whether a worker is an independent contractor or an employee for purposes of the National Labor Relations Act.
The case, SuperShuttle DFW, Inc., 367 N.L.R.B. No. 75…
On June 6, 2018, following the NLRB’s decision on The Boeing Company, 365 NLRB No. 154 (Dec. 14, 2017), NLRB General Counsel Peter Robb issued a Guidance Memorandum (18-04) on how NLRB Regional Offices should interpret workplace rules. Boeing’s new standard strikes a balance between an employers’ right to govern its workplace and an employees’ right to exercise their Section 7 rights. When…
On April 10, 2018, Judge Thomas E. Johnston of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District for West Virginia granted summary judgment to Frontier West Virginia Inc. (Frontier) in a case brought under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) by a former employee (the plaintiff). Specifically, the plaintiff alleged that Frontier interfered with his FMLA rights by denying him requested leave…
Jill E. Hall and Justin M. Harrison of the Firm's Charleston, WV office will be presenting at the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce 2018 Human Resources Conference in Charleston on April 26, 2018.
Jill will be discussing "What's Going On with Healthcare: The Latest Changes and Impacts on Your Employee Benefits Program." Justin will be discussing "Guns in the Workplace."
The Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”) applies to employees of enterprises that have an annual gross volume of sales made or business done of $500,000 or more. On May 18, 2016, the Department of Labor (“DOL”) released the final updated version of the regulations governing which executive, administrative, and professional employees are entitled to overtime pay protections under the FLSA. The…
In the last two weeks, Governor Earl Ray Tomblin signed three employment-related bills that will significantly improve the climate for employers to do business in West Virginia. All three align West Virginia law with corresponding law in most other jurisdictions.
First, and SB318 amend the Wage Payment and Collection Act. With the passage of SB12, gone is the…