Tag: news

Senate confirms ‘proemployer’ Gorsuch to Supreme Court

The Senate has confirmed President Donald Trump’s nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court, Neil Gorsuch. Because Gorsuch is known for adhering to the letter of the law, his confirmation likely is good news for employers, experts say. Democrats initially filibustered Gorsuch’s confirmation, but Republicans invoked the “nuclear option” and changed the Senate rules to allow […]

In ‘landmark’ ruling, appeals court says sexual orientation discrimination is illegal

Federal law prohibits employers from discriminating against employees on the basis of their sexual orientation, a federal appeals court ruled for the first time on April 4. With its “landmark” ruling, the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals upended three decades of precedent and set up the issue for review by the U.S. Supreme Court, […]

Labor secretary nominee Acosta advances to full Senate

President Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of labor has been approved by the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Alexander Acosta now advances to the full Senate for a final confirmation vote. Acosta, a former National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) member, generally has been praised by the employer community. He has a deep […]

Trump puts final nail in the coffin: Blacklisting rule ‘gone forever’

President Donald Trump has signed a resolution voiding an Obama-era regulation that would have required federal contractors to disclose employment law violations to agencies that award contracts. His signature was the final step in the repeal process. “It was the stake through the heart of the blacklisting regs,” according to H. Juanita Beecher, of counsel […]

GOP ‘still has options’ after pulling ACA repeal bill

On March 24, Republican lawmakers pulled their proposal to undo parts of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) when it became clear they didn’t have the necessary votes to pass the bill in the House. The American Health Care Act would have, among other things, effectively voided the ACA’s employer mandate, which requires large employers to […]

‘Breathtakingly radical’: Acosta questions legality of any overtime threshold

President Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of labor has questioned whether the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has the authority to set any salary threshold for overtime pay—not just the pending increase that would raise the threshold to $47,476. Alexander Acosta volunteered that concern twice during his March 22 confirmation hearing, despite no questions from […]

$15 minimum wage clears Baltimore City Council

by Kevin C. McCormick On March 20, the Baltimore City Council voted 11-3 to approve a bill that would raise the city’s minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2022. If ultimately enacted, the minimum wage would be the highest in Maryland. Under the proposed legislation, the minimum wage for employees working in the city […]

Trump proposes ‘substantial’ DOL budget cut

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) would see a nearly 21 percent reduction in funding under the White House’s proposed 2018 discretionary spending budget, which was released March 16. “A 21 percent cut is very substantial,” according to H. Juanita Beecher, of counsel with Fortney & Scott in Washington, D.C., and an editor of Federal […]