Author: Kate McGovern Tornone

All eyes on Philly: Businesses launch second challenge to city’s salary history ban

For a second time, a Philadelphia business group has asked a judge to block the city’s ban on salary history questions, arguing that the law infringes on business’ free-speech rights. The law also would prevent businesses in the city from keeping pace with competitors, the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia said in a statement. […]

Wonder Woman and the fight against unconscious bias

Not only has the recently released Wonder Woman movie garnered mainly favorable reviews, but it has been highly successful at the box office, having made more than $200 million domestically in its first two weeks of release alone. From a purely movie industry insider perspective, the success of Wonder Woman is incredibly important to Warner […]

Los Angeles, San Francisco minimum wages going up July 1

Employers in Los Angeles and San Francisco must prepare to pay higher minimum wages starting July 1. In the city of Los Angeles and the unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County, the minimum wage is going to $12 an hour on July 1 for businesses with more than 25 employees, up from $10.50 an hour. […]

Marijuana

Think your drug policy is sound? Better factor in changing marijuana laws

Not so many years ago employers emphasized the importance of drug-free workplace policies—policies that often included zero-tolerance provisions. But as marijuana laws have undergone significant change in recent years, it’s time to give a second look to policies that may not have been updated in years.  Peter Lowe, an attorney with Brann & Isaacson in […]

DOL rescinds joint-employment, independent contractor guidance

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has withdrawn two major Obama-era guidance documents, one addressing joint employment and one dealing with independent contractors. The move, while not a surprise, is good news for employers, according to H. Juanita Beecher, an attorney with Fortney & Scott and editor of Federal Employment Law Insider. The Obama administration […]

Signaling end of overtime rule, DOL will seek public input on new regs

On June 7, Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta said he will soon formally request the public’s input on new overtime regulations. The announcement signals that the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) likely will drop its defense of former President Barack Obama’s overtime rule, according to one expert. A request for information (RFI) likely will be […]

White House gone wild!

These days, just about anyone with an Internet connection and some time on their hands enjoys a wonder of the modern age: binge-watching. One of the first, and still one of my favorites, is Netflix’s House of Cards. No matter how over-the-top the plot twists become, no matter how difficult it is to follow the […]