News Center

The CDC announced new guidance for individuals exposed to or testing positive for COVID-19.  It is important for employers to understand the modifications to the CDC guidance when addressing employees regarding isolation and masking. The CDC stated that it is…

As we previously reported, the Michigan Court of Claims issued a ruling on July 19, 2022, immediately reinstituting 2018 ballot proposals that: (1) required employers of all sizes to provide up to 72 hours of paid sick leave to all…

On July 28, 2022, the Michigan Supreme Court ruled 5-2 that the Michigan Elliot Larsen Civil Rights Act’s (“ELCRA”) prohibition against sex discrimination includes a prohibition against discrimination based on sexual orientation. In Rouch World, LLC and Uprooted Electrolysis, LCC…

On Monday, July 11, 2022 ̶ retroactively effective to July 1, 2022, with a final end date of July 1, 2023 ̶ Michigan’s COVID-19-era laws (three in total), including an amendment and repeal of Michigan’s COVID-19 Employment Rights Act were…

The City of Chicago previously required all Chicago employers to provide two hours of sexual harassment prevention training for supervisors and one hour for all other employees annually. Now, Chicago has increased these requirements adding an additional hour of “bystander…

A recent opinion by the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals (“Sixth Circuit” or “Court”), King v. Steward Trumbull Memorial Hospital (4/7/2022), addressed whether an employer failed to accommodate its employee’s potentially untimely request for unpaid leave.   Jeanne King (“King”)…

When a company’s management and board decide to move forward with a proposed merger or acquisition, they do so believing the deal will be in the long-term interests of the company and relevant stakeholders. They’ve crunched the numbers, looked at…

The National Labor Relations Board’s current General Counsel, Jennifer Abbruzzo, is currently taking aggressive positions designed to help unions be more successful in organizing. The General Counsel is the agency’s top lawyer. While she cannot unilaterally change the law, she…

The U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) recently announced that it is taking steps in furtherance of the Biden Administration’s stated aim to increase workers’ wages. On Friday March 11, the DOL announced that it will review and update inter alia…

The National Labor Relations Board’s (“Board”) upcoming decision in Stericyle, Inc., NLRB Docket No. 01-CA-137660 may impact how the Board assesses the lawfulness of employer work rules and handbook policies in both union and non-union workplaces. The NLRB’s General Counsel…

A recent Sixth Circuit reported decision provides guidance for employers on the corrective actions necessary to respond to employee harassment allegations under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. In Burns v. Berry Global, Inc., the Court recognized that Berry…

You’re a business owner heading into a meeting to pitch a potential client or customer for what would be a huge contract for your company. You’ve spent days or weeks preparing to put your best foot forward, answer questions, address…

On February 9, 2022, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed a law amending the Michigan Income Tax Act to allow a new deduction for contributions to certain “first-time home buyer” savings accounts.   The law includes provisions that create a new…

On February 10, 2022, the Senate passed a landmark bill prohibiting enforcement of pre-dispute contract provisions that mandate arbitration for sexual harassment or assault claims. The bill also prohibits a “pre-dispute joint action waiver.” This means that any agreement purporting…

On November 5, 2021, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) released its controversial Emergency Temporary Standard (“ETS”), which required “large” employers to implement COVID-19 vaccine mandates or otherwise necessitate weekly testing of unvaccinated employees. OSHA may promulgate an ETS…

On Monday, December 20, 2021, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed House Bill (H.B.) 5376 into law.  H.B. 5376, also referred to as Michigan’s “SALT Cap Workaround,” amends the Michigan Income Tax Act to allow flow-through entities taxed as partnerships or…

On Friday, December 17, 2021, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals dissolved the stay that previously barred the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) from enforcing its Emergency Temporary Standard (“ETS”), which requires employers with 100 or more employees to…

On December 14, 2021, the EEOC published updated guidance which states workers who contract COVID-19 can be protected from discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”). Depending on each worker’s circumstances, the virus can cause impairments that meet one…

If you own a small business, someone has likely posted an online review of your company and its goods or services. From Yelp to TripAdvisor to Angie’s List to any number of websites tailored to particular industries or interests, online…

On November 10, 2021, the National Labor Relations Board’s General Counsel published OM 22-03 regarding the duty to bargain over issues related to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (“OSHA”) Emergency Temporary Standard (“ETS”), which requires employers with 100 or…

On November 6, 2021, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals temporarily stayed the vaccinate-or-test Emergency Temporary Standard (“ETS”), published by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”).  After additional briefing, on November 12, 2021, the Fifth Circuit continued its preliminary…

On November 5, 2021, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) published its vaccinate-or-test Emergency Temporary Standard (“ETS”), requiring employers with 100 or more employees to implement COVID-19 vaccine mandates or otherwise subject unvaccinated employees to weekly testing. As promised,…

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) released its much-anticipated Emergency Temporary Standard (“ETS”), requiring “large” employers to implement COVID-19 vaccine mandates or otherwise subject unvaccinated employees to weekly testing, based upon the finding that COVID-19 poses a grave danger…

On Thursday, October 7, 2021, three years after Michigan’s prevailing wage law was repealed, prevailing wage has been reinstated for certain state contracts. The prevailing wage directive requires contractors to pay union wages and benefits on state-funded projects. Michigan’s Management…

President Biden’s “Path Out of the Pandemic” action plan has left many employers wondering – what will happen next?  Although there is more unknown than known at this point, Bodman’s Workplace Law Group has collected clients’ most common questions and…