The tumultuous and ever-changing landscape of public sector labor law could be in for yet more change in Ohio. Many will remember the US Supreme Court decision in Janus v. AFSCME which held that the First Amendment prohibits public employers from collecting fees from non-union employees as a condition of working in public service. Now, [...]
Included in the flurry of bills passed by the Ohio General Assembly at the end of 2020 was House Bill 352. The bill was signed into law by Gov. DeWine on January 12, 2021 and makes several significant changes to Revised Code Chapter 4112, which is Ohio’s employment discrimination law. The new law alters the [...]
Ohio received some good news at the end of 2020: A vaccination for the Coronavirus was soon going to be widely available. But as 2021 begins, many public and private employers are asking the same question: Can employers require employees to receive one of the COVID-19 vaccinations? The short answer is yes. But before implementing [...]
The holiday season in the United States is a time when many millions of Americans get together with friends and family to celebrate. For many Americans who live away from their loved ones, this requires travel, a lot of travel. For the year 2019, AAA estimated that over 115 million Americans travel between December 21 [...]
On Wednesday, March 18, 2020, the President signed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act into law. Referred to as the FFCRA, the Act created or added paid leave entitlements for millions of Americans and required employers with 500 or fewer employees and all public employers to make immediate changes to leave policies. Since its passage, [...]
The Ohio Office of Budget and Management recently issued guidance for local governments receiving Coronavirus Relief Funding through the OBM. The guidance applies to funds awarded as a result of legislation from the Ohio General Assembly and the Ohio Controlling Board allocating federal funding from the CARES Act from the Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF). The [...]
One of the many questions we have received regarding the COVID-19 pandemic relates to employer liability for COVID-19 related lawsuits. The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that 70% of entrepreneurs in Ohio are concerned about potential liability related to the pandemic. Such concerns are not unfounded; a number of lawsuits have cropped up across the country [...]
As with most major spectator sports, national elections tend to draw commentary from everyone. With social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and even Instagram, Americans have more options than ever to comment on the campaigns and show support for their chosen candidate. With both major parties' conventions wrapping up toward the end of last month [...]
The day after its passage, on March 19th of this year, we published our first blog on the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). The law created several new entitlements for American workers which required employers to quickly adjust. With the 24-hour news cycle, March 19th seems like a lifetime ago. And since then, Congress [...]
On June 15, 2020, the Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia, holding that employers violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 when they discriminate regarding a term or condition of employment based on an employee’s gender identity or sexual orientation. Title VII prohibits workplace discrimination based [...]
