The current administration and multiple members of Congress seek to grant protections to H-2B non-agricultural temporary workers who are employed in the United States to fill temporary labor shortages in the U.S. market.
On November 13, 2023, Puerto Rico Governor Pedro Pierluisi signed Act No. 129-2023, increasing the duration of maternity leave for government employees.
On November 9, 2023, Bill C-58, An Act to amend the Canada Labour Code and the Canada Industrial Relations Board Regulations, 2012, was introduced by the federal government for First Reading.
On November 7, 2023, Prince Edward Island introduced Bill 106, An Act to Amend the Employment Standards Act for First Reading. Bill 106 proposes to increase dramatically the paid sick leave to which employees in the province are entitled under the ESA.
On October 23, 2023, the Department of Homeland Security released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, which the agency indicates will modernize and improve the H-1B specialty occupation worker program.
Three new rules will take effect this year that alter the overtime wages subject to Alabama withholding tax and employers’ requirements in reporting those newly exempt wages.
Protection of whistleblowers has been on the EU’s agenda for quite some time. Four years ago the EU issued the EU Whistleblowing Directive throughout its Member States.
On October 31, 2023, the NLRB and OSHA announced that the agencies have executed a Memorandum of Understanding “to strengthen the agencies’ partnership to promote safe and healthy workplaces through protecting worker voice.”