On Oct. 25, 2021, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued guidance and updated the same on Oct. 28, to assist employers who receive requests for religious accommodations from job applicants and employees regarding Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine mandates. This GT Alert provides considerations for employers when evaluating such a request for a religious
Presuming that OSHA’s COVID-19 ETS stands, employers will need to adhere to further requirements by Jan. 4, 2022. Until then, employers should prepare for compliance with the Dec. 5 requirements. Planning for implementation will help employers assess whether to adopt a vaccination mandate or a policy that provides for vaccination or testing.
On Nov. 4, 2021, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) unveiled its long-awaited Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) regarding the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination, vaccination verification, face coverings, and testing.
The COVID-19 ETS requires employers with more than 100 employees to develop, implement, and enforce either: (1) a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy; or (2)
With an increasing number of states legalizing the use of recreational marijuana, employment laws are being enacted to address marijuana possession and use.1 One such state is New York. The New York Department of Labor (DOL) has issued new guidance on adult cannabis use and the workplace.
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On Oct. 21, join Greenberg Traurig’s recognized Texas Labor & Employment practitioners to discuss the issues employers face as the “new normal” emerges and takes shape. With the imminent close of the 87th Legislature, the start of a new school year, and the return-to-the-office mandates, Texas employers face a number of new and unanswered questions:
On Sept. 9, 2021, President Biden issued his Executive Order on Ensuring Adequate COVID Safety Protocols for Federal Contractors (EO), mandating vaccines for all federal employees and covered federal contractor employees. Although the respective agencies are expected to promulgate guidance and rules effectuating the EO, which will become effective Oct. 15, 2021, the Safety Federal
On June 12, 2021, a Texas federal judge issued one of the first rulings on a challenge to a mandatory vaccination policy. U.S. District Judge Lynn Hughes of the Southern District of Texas dismissed a lawsuit brought by 116 employees of Houston Methodist Hospital who refused to get vaccinated against COVID-19 following a mandate by
On March 19, 2021, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed SB 95 into law, once again requiring employers to provide California employees with paid sick leave in connection with COVID-19. Under SB 95, employees may be entitled to up to 80 hours of this supplemental paid sick leave. The new law, codified at Labor Code § 248.2,
Much has been written cautioning employers about the twin holdings of Donohue v. AMN Services LLC, in which the California Supreme Court said on Feb. 25 that employers “cannot engage in the practice of rounding time punches … in the meal period context,” and a “rebuttable presumption of meal period violations” will apply when
New York employees may now elect paid leave for time spent receiving the COVID-19 vaccination. Specifically, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed Assembly Bill A3354B, on March 12, 2021, which provides up to four hours of paid leave for COVID-19 employee vaccinations.