New York State Releases Retail Worker Safety Act Model Workplace Violence Prevention Policy and Model Workplace Violence Prevention Training Program

two retail workers

As we previously reported, the New York Retail Worker Safety Act, which will impose significant workplace violence prevention requirements on retail employers took effect on June 2, 2025.  Under the new law, covered employers are required to (1) implement a written retail workplace violence prevention policy, (2) conduct workplace violence prevention training, and (3) provide […]

EEO-1 Collection Portal is Open with Reporting Changes

employees in a discussion sitting in a circle

As you may be aware, private employers with at least 100 employees must complete and file an EEO-1 Report that organizes employee demographic data by employee job category, as well as gender and race/ethnicity, and submit that data to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) and the U.S. Department of Labor on an annual basis.  […]

Reminder: New York Retail Worker Safety Act – Effective June 2, 2025

Couple shopping in store

As a reminder, the New York Retail Worker Safety Act, which will impose significant workplace violence prevention requirements on retail employers will take effect on June 2, 2025.  Under the new law, covered employers will be required to (1) implement a written retail workplace violence prevention policy, (2) conduct workplace violence prevention training, and (3) […]

DOL Releases Guidance on FLSA Classification of Independent Contractors

woman smiling while on interview

On May 1, 2025, the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) released a Field Assistance Bulletin that provides guidance regarding the analysis to apply when determining employee or independent contractor status for purposes of enforcing the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”). The DOL announced that it will no longer apply the 2024 independent contractor rule and […]

President Trump Issues Executive Order that Aims to Eliminate Disparate Impact Liability

colleagues meeting in conference room

On April 23, 2025, President Trump signed an Executive Order aimed at eliminating the use of disparate-impact liability and ordering federal enforcement agencies to stop the enforcement of antidiscrimination laws based on disparate impact theories. Disparate impact liability is a legal theory that is codified in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that allows […]

New Form I-9 Issued and E-Verify Updates for 2025

woman arriving at first day or work and meeting the team

On April 2, 2025, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) issued a new version of the Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, with some minor changes to align with statutory language and updated the DHS Privacy Notice. The revised Form I-9 with an edition date of January 20, 2025 and an expiration date of May […]

New York Reproductive Health Bias Law Requires Notice in Employee Handbooks

pregnant woman in work office

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has reinstated the New York Reproductive Health Bias Law’s requirement that New York State employers include a notice in their employee handbooks regarding the law’s prohibition on discrimination and retaliation based on employees’ or their dependent’s reproductive health care decisions. Specifically, the law prohibits discrimination based […]

EEOC Issues Guidance on Illegal DEI

man shaking hands at work

On March 19, 2025, the Equal Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) issued two assistance documents providing guidance on illegal diversity, equity and inclusion (“DEI”) in the workplace.  The two technical assistance documents are focused on educating the public about unlawful discrimination related to DEI in the workplace.  The EEOC acknowledged that DEI is a broad term that […]

Key Provisions of President Trump’s DEI Executive Orders Blocked by Federal Court

federal-court-building

In the days following his inauguration, President Trump issued a flurry of executive orders, several of which related to and restricted Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (“DEI”) programs within the federal government and for private employers.  A federal district court has now blocked several key provisions of those orders. On January 20, 2025, President Trump signed […]

Executive Order on Gender and How Private Employers Should React

On January 20, 2025, President Trump issued an Executive Order titled “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government”.   The stated purpose of the Order is to defend women’s rights and protect freedom of conscience by using clear and accurate language and policies that recognize women are biologically female, and […]