Stephan Swinkels and Michael Lotito discuss the intersection of employment and geopolitics and offer key considerations for the C-suite of global companies. 

Chief Executive

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Alex MacDonald discusses how a new study reveals how some union practices prioritize maintaining their political influence over delivering benefits.

U.S. Chamber of Commerce

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Michael Lotito says captive audience meeting bans passed by more than half a dozen states are “intrusive” and “against fundamental First Amendment principles.”

Bloomberg Law

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Alexander T. MacDonald says predistributional labor policies do none of the things they’re supposed to do and, in fact, amplify the problems they’re supposed to solve.

The Federalist Society

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Counsel representing banks in employment litigation need to understand the special privileges and rules regarding access to bank records and disclosures to regulators.

By Philip M. Berkowitz | July 13, 2022

Browse through brief employment and labor law updates from around the globe. Contact a Littler attorney for more information or view our global locations.

Download full Q1 2023 Global Guide Quarterly

Whistleblower Protection Act Has Entered into Force

New Legislation Enacted

Authors: Dennis Veldhuizen, Partner, and Eric van Dam, Partner – Clint | Littler

Jesús Lahera offers a detailed analysis of Spain’s Whistleblowing Directive and its impact on employers and employees.

Observatorio de RRHH

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UPDATE: This law took effect on February 8, 2024.

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Dear Littler,

In the first major action of 2024, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced it had entered into a three-year deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) with a publicly traded global software company for alleged violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). The January 10, 2024 announcement described the company’s agreement to pay more than $220 million in connection with the investigation, consisting of just under $120 million in criminal penalties.  While significant, these fines were reduced based on the pilot program announced by the DOJ last spring, as described below.

On August 31, 2021, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approved the Affirmative Action Program Verification Interface (AAVI) proposed by the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) for the verification and upload of federal contractor affirmative action plans.

Earlier this month, President Biden released his COVID-19 Action Plan, Path Out of the Pandemic (Plan) with the stated goal of getting more people vaccinated.¹ As part of the Plan, President Biden signed Executive Order 14042, Ensuring Adequate COVID Safety Protocols for Federal Contractors (Order).

On October 11, 2021, Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued Executive Order GA-40, which states that no entity in Texas can “compel” any individual, including any employee or consumer, to receive a COVID-19 vaccination who objects “for any reason of personal conscience, based on a religious belief, or for medical reasons, including prior recovery from COVID-19.”  The order also establishes a maximum criminal penalty of $1,000 but expressly exclude

On September 9, 2021, President Biden signed Executive Order 14042, Ensuring Adequate COVID Safety Protocols for Federal Contractors (“Order”), which directed the executive agencies to begin amending federal contracts to require federal contractors to take specific actions to combat COVID-19 and to, in turn, require covered subcontractors to take the same actions (the federal contractor COVID-19 workplace

The White House on November 4 announced that the deadline for employers covered by the federal contractor vaccine requirement to comply with the vaccine mandate will be extended from December 8, 2021 to January 4, 2022.

Alecia Winfield explains what diversity means in corporate America and says the ‘Black Lives Matter’ protests fueled a drive for change in corporate America, similar to that of the #MeToo movement. 

Apparel Resources

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Last August OFCCP published a notice in the Federal Register advising employers that in response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, the agency was planning to produce confidential information that is ordinarily protected from dis

On June 5, 2023, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) published its FY 2023 Construction Corporate Scheduling Announcement List (CSAL). The CSAL includes 250 employers that OFCCP has identified as federal or federally assisted construction contractors.

On August 24, 2023, the Office of Management and Budget approved a request from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) to revise the “Itemized Listing” that OFCCP uses to collect information from federal contractors that are selected for supply or service audits. Among the changes that have been approved is a new requirement that audited contractors:

Littler Women's Leadership Initiative co-chair Margaret Parnell Hogan, interviews fellow Littler attorney Dionysia L. Johnson-Massie, about how respecting women in the workplace helps recruit and retain crucial talent, among other IE&D efforts.
  

On March 29, 2024, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) published revisions to Statistical Policy Directive No. 15: Standards for Maintaining, Collecting, and Presenting Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity (SPD 15). These changes will impact how companies collect the race and ethnicity data for their federal reporting. 

On June 3, 2024, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit granted a preliminary injunction prohibiting a venture capital fund from awarding grants based on race and gender. In reversal of the district court, the majority found the grant contest “substantially likely to violate” 42 USC Section 1981, a federal statute enacted as part of the Civil Rights Act of 1866 prohibiting private parties from racial discrimination in contracts.

Alexander MacDonald talks about how the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Chevron will likely impact rulemaking across the federal government.

Law360

Alexander T. MacDonald and Michael J. Lotito review four decisions in the U.S. Supreme Court's recently completed term and discuss how the rulings may affect employment law.

Westlaw Today

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Andrea M. Kirshenbaum discusses the 2023-24 SCOTUS opinions that promise to reshape administrative law in the United States for decades to come.

The Legal Intelligencer

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Kerry Notestine, Chad Kaldor, Shawn Matthew Clark and Garrick Josephs discuss a court’s decision that the Maryland WARN Act does not give individuals the right to file suit in their personal capacity to enforce a legal claim under the Act.

Wolters Kluwer

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While the Department of Justice (DOJ) has initiated at least two new Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) enforcement actions against U.S. companies, it has also announced several decisions not to prosecute—most recently involving a U.S. biotech firm and its subsidiaries. The November 16, 2023, declination letter is instructive for companies concerned about protecting themselves against the consequences of employees who take it upon themselves to flout internal anti-bribery policies.

Ellen Donovan McCann, Alice Kokodis and Jim Paretti explain the Massachusetts Department of Family and Medical Leave’s new, more employer-friendly guidance.

SHRM Online

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Joy Rosenquist talks about the impact of an executive order banning the use of salary history in hiring by federal agencies and contractors.

WorldatWork

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Oregon’s Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program (“Paid Leave Oregon”) generally provides eligible employees with up to 12 weeks of paid time off for leave that qualifies as family, medical, or safe leave. Since Paid Leave Oregon took effect on September 3, 2023, employees have been stacking Paid Leave Oregon leave benefits and Oregon Family Leave Act (OFLA) leave benefits, leaving employers frustrated with staffing shortages.

Mikayla Almeida, Kimberly Doud and Anne Sanchez LaWer explain to employers about how implementing benefits related to women’s health and fertility could reduce turnover and retain talent.

ACC Central Florida

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Chelsea Lewis provides recommendations for navigating the challenges that may arise when customers or clients refuse to abide by COVID-19 mandates.

ACC South Florida

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The recently enacted Anti-Money Laundering Act significantly increases the potential value of awards for whistleblowers under the Bank Secrecy Act. The challenge for a financial services employer is to establish that discipline against an employee in a compliance role is supported by evidence that the decision was based on the employee's incompetence or other inappropriate behavior, and that any whistleblowing activity he or she engaged in was not a consideration. Philip M. Berkowitz explores the issues in this edition of his Employment Issues column.

Terri Solomon talks to HR Dive about how employers can best handle mental health crises in the office.

HR Dive

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Natasha Adom discusses proposals from the FCA, PRA and Bank of England that would require financial services firms to provide more detailed monitoring and report of diversity and inclusion. 

IFA Magazine

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