Yesterday employers learned details of two significant new COVID-19 employment-related vaccine and safety mandates from the Biden Administration. First, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) released an Interim Final Rule applying an Emergency Temporary Standard (“OSHA…
Earlier this week the EEOC updated its Technical Assistance Questions and Answers (“Q&A”) to add a section discussing religious accommodations to the COVID-19 vaccines. If your company has not yet had to determine whether an employee qualifies for an accommodation because of a religious objection…
Many businesses believe their company information is “trade secret” information deserving of special protection. But is it really? How can you protect and show it really is trade secret information? One way is to conduct an internal trade secret audit.
What is Trade Secret…
Yesterday, Thursday, September 9, 2021, President Biden announced that he has signed new Executive Orders relating to mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations. Per the President’s “Path out of the Pandemic: President Biden’s COVID-19 Action Plan” (“the “Plan”), which can be found here, President Biden's…
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals (the “Court”) recently issued a unanimous appellate decision in Klassen, et al. v. Trustees of Indiana University, ruling that Indiana University’s (the “University”) COVID-19 vaccine mandate (the “Mandate”) did not violate any constitutional right. The University…
This afternoon, President Biden issued an Executive Order to promote competition. The Executive Order includes 72 initiatives by more than a dozen federal agencies to promptly tackle competition problems in the U.S. economy. While this Executive Order has no immediate effect on employers, it could…
Recently the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) updated its COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard (“ETS”). Under this new ETS, OSHA details various workplace safety guidelines that employers are advised to follow to protect unvaccinated and otherwise at-risk workers from…
As anticipated, the litigation regarding COVID-19 vaccinations is beginning. In Jennifer Bridges, et al. v. The Methodist Hospital d/b/a the Methodist Hospital System, et al.,1 the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas ruled that the hospital system in Houston could require its…
The EEOC recently updated its guidance on vaccine administration and included guidance on what employers can require or ask, what accommodations must be considered, and what incentives can be provided. As you update your organization’s vaccine requirements, it is important to ensure your…
The laws regarding pre-employment background checks are complicated and Illinois’ new amendments to the Illinois Human Rights Act has just added to background check requirements. On March 23, 2021, Governor Pritzker signed into law new requirements for background checks in Illinois that take effect…
