Unpaid Bereavement Leave Extended

Although it won’t become effective for a few more months, be advised that earlier this summer, Illinois enacted amendments to the Child Bereavement Leave Act, expanding the law’s scope and renaming it the “Family Bereavement Leave Act” (FBLA). The amendments are effective January 1, 2023, and they: (1) expand the definition of family members covered…

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Bereavement Leave Law Expanded

There may still be a few months to prepare for its implementation, but Illinois enacted amendments to the Child Bereavement Leave Act, expanding the law’s scope and renaming it the “Family Bereavement Leave Act” (FBLA). Under the amendments, which become effective on January 1, 2023, the definition of family members covered by the FBLA is…

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Paid Leave Changes

Minimum wages aren’t the only legal requirements that will change come July 1, and you’ll want to double check on local and state requirements that may impact your business.  That said, we note that Universal Paid Leave in the Nations Capital will undergo some changes next month as the employers’ contributions will be reduced from…

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FFCRA Sick Leave Mandate Effective Now

With the CARES Act being signed into law last week, one could mistakenly look past the requirements contained in the Families First Coronavirus Relief Act (FFCRA) passed and signed into law the previous week, but you do not want to do that! The FFCRA became effective on Wednesday of this week, April 1, and mandates…

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Coronavirus and its Impact on Employers

In response to the recent coronavirus outbreak, employers everywhere are striving to limit the risk of exposure in the workplace. That means implementing workplace precautions, ensuring that sick leave policies and practices are effectively communicated to employees and familiarizing yourself with state and federal laws. On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the…

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DOL Warning On Leave Designation

The US Department of Labor (DOL) issued a new Opinion Letter last week prohibiting employers from delaying the designation of Family & Medical Leave. Citing the FMLA, the DOL letter states that when an eligible employee communicates a need for leave for an FMLA-qualified reason, neither the employee nor the employer may decline FMLA protection.…

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DOL Extends Forms, Updates Opinion Letters

The gridlock on joint employer notwithstanding, the Department of Labor (DOL) this week extended for three years the validity of current notices and medical certification forms for use in complying with the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) The forms were set to expire last Friday, August 31, but have now been extended until…

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DOL Increases Penalties for FLSA, FMLA Violations

Coming on the heels of their significantly increasing the overtime exemption threshold, the Department of Labor (DOL) has now issued an interim final rule that increases civil penalties for violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and all laws under their jurisdiction.  Under the new regulation, which…

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FMLA Liability Can Be Far-Reaching

Our friends at the law firm of Murtha Culina advise us of an important appellate level court decision rendered last week that should send shivers around the human resources department.  The 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals rendered a decision last week that under certain readings of the Family Medical Leave Act, a company’s human resources…

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California Governor Vetoes Sick Leave Expansion

We told you above that Governor Gerry Brown signed the Franchise Relations Act last Sunday, but what he also did that day was veto a bill that extending existing unpaid sick leave benefits to as much as 12 weeks of job-protected leave.  The extension provided by Senate bill 406 would have allowed for leave to…

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