Insights on Labor, Employment & OSHA

ArentFox Schiff is proud to announce that the firm has been honored by The M&A Advisor, as part of their 19th Annual Turnaround Awards Gala, for “Distressed M&A Deal of the Year ($50MM to $100MM)”, in connection with advising Sutil Group, a leading Chilean agricultural business group, in the acquisition of California-based Sunshine Raisin Corporation.

On March 19, the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the US Department of Justice (DOJ) released two technical assistance documents focused on educating the public about “unlawful discrimination” related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace.

On February 14, the new general counsel of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), William Cowen, rescinded more than 25 previously issued policy memoranda.

The landscape is in flux right now for nonprofits, to say the least. To help structure your action plan, these are some of the top questions our Nonprofits & Associations team has been helping our clients think through.

Foreign nationals and employers should plan all international travel more carefully and further in advance. This is not a travel ban but has opened the path to create a travel ban in the future, as he did in his earlier Administration.

The H-1B is the most common work visa for foreign nationals in professional-level jobs in the United States. Effective January 17, there is a new H-1B “modernization” rule which introduced some significant changes and codified some existing processing practices to the H-1B visa program.

On June 18, 2021, a group of ACE American Insurance Company employees filed a class action suit alleging that ACE misclassified them as exempt employees.

Earlier this month, the Acting General Counsel of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), William Cowen, rescinded a slew of his predecessor’s policy memoranda. While general counsel (GC) memoranda are not the official legal position of the NLRB, if adopted by the Board they could have far-reaching ramifications for covered employers.

Though most in-house counsel (and even a lot of employment lawyers) are unaware, M.G.L. c. 149, Section 19B makes it unlawful for any employer to subject its employees or job applicants to a lie detector test.

Proposed legislation introduced in the US Senate last week would deny tax-exempt status to certain organizations that support undocumented immigrants. The legislation would change the eligibility requirements for 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status.

With 2025 underway, the AFS Health Care team highlights some of the most pressing legal issues facing the health care industry this year.

In 2025, the retail and fashion industries are bracing for a transformative year, heavily influenced by the policies of the new Trump Administration. These policies promise rapid and significant changes, particularly in areas such as trade, tariffs, and immigration, which will profoundly affect global supply chains and labor dynamics.

ArentFox Schiff represented Triumvirate Environmental, Inc. in its recently completed transaction with Boston-based private equity firm, Berkshire Partners, pursuant to which Berkshire made a significant growth investment in Triumvirate, based upon a company valuation of $1.8 billion.

On December 21, 2024, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed into law the New York State Fashion Workers Act, which imposes new regulatory obligations on fashion companies, advertising agencies, model management companies, and other entities that work with fashion models.

Many parties are rightly concerned about the impact of yesterday’s announcement that nearly all federal funds will be frozen for an indeterminate period. Minutes before it was intended to go into effect today, a federal judge in Washington, DC, temporarily ordered the freeze to be lifted until at least Monday February 3, when a full hearing will occur as to whether the freeze is permissible under federal administrative procedure laws and the First Amendment.

ArentFox Schiff is pleased to announce the addition of Partner Andrew S. Wong to its Complex Litigation practice in the firm’s Los Angeles office.

On January 14, the US Department of Labor’s (DOL) Wage and Hour Division (WHD) published two opinion letters, FLSA2025-1, which addresses tip pooling under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), and FMLA2025-1-A, which provides guidance on how employers may coordinate paid family leave benefits with leave taken under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA).

Following his inauguration on January 20, President Trump signed a slew of executive orders, including a handful related to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

Educating employees about sexual harassment — what it is, that it is unlawful, that your organization won’t tolerate it, how to prevent it, how to respond to it, etc. — can contribute to safer and more productive workplace, plus reduce exposure to successful harassment claims. Recognizing that, on their own, many employers have implemented sexual harassment prevention training programs.

Employers are paying close attention to pay transparency laws, which are the latest trend in employment legislation. Often expanding on existing pay equity laws, many state and local governments have enacted or proposed legislation with the stated goal of reducing pay inequity and combating wage discrimination.

On June 27, 2023, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA), a federal law enforced by the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), went into effect. The PWFA mandates that employers with at least 15 employees, along with other covered entities, provide reasonable accommodations for employees with known limitations related to, affected by, or arising out of pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions.

Beginning on January 1, 2025, New York employers in the private sector will be required to provide up to 20 hours of paid leave during any 52-week period for employees to attend prenatal appointments or obtain health care services related to their pregnancy.

Employment arbitration agreements are an important tool for employers who wish to resolve workplace disputes in a more streamline fashion and, more importantly, avoid class and collective actions. However, enforcing arbitration agreements can become challenging and complex, especially when multiple related entities and non-signatories are involved.

ArentFox Schiff is pleased to announce the election of 15 new partners, effective January 1, 2025.

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has reinstituted a union-friendly standard for determining whether an employer’s unilateral changes to the terms and conditions of employment violate the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). Going forward, an employer acting unilaterally must show that the union surrendered its right to bargain through a “clear and unmistakable waiver.” This significantly raises the bar employers must clear to act unilaterally, while providing unions with more avenues to challenge employer actions.