Labor Law Updates

As we usher in a new year, it’s time to turn our attention to the HR and employment law issues emerging for 2016. Last year was especially robust for legal developments that made a direct impact on employers, and 2016 is expected to be just as active. This pace of changes, coupled with many government agencies setting aggressive enforcement agendas, means every employer needs to be aware and ready.

If 2016 is anything like the past year, we can expect a steady pace of labor law posting changes – most certainly on the state level and, based on ongoing developments, on the federal level, too.

On June 26, the United States Supreme Court issued a decision in Obergefell v. Hodges that requires all states to recognize and issue licenses for same-sex marriages. The decision is one of the most significant changes to constitutional law in many years, and its impact is far-reaching, including implications for employers.

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) recently released its long-awaited proposal to change overtime regulations under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). If the new regulations are adopted, the weekly salary threshold will increase from $455 to the current 40th percentile of weekly earnings for full-time salaried employees, or $970. These proposed changes could affect nearly 11 million workers. As an employer, here’s what you need to know.

Although the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act of 1970 requires businesses to provide workplaces “free from recognized hazards that are causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm” to employees, roughly three million workers are seriously injured – and another 4,500 workers are killed – on the job every year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.