In Bunge Hamilton Canada, Hamilton, Ontario v. United Food and Commercial Workers Canada, Local 175 (Bunge), Arbitrator Robert J. Herman dismissed a union grievance challenging the employer’s mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy.
Due to high infection rates from the Omicron variant and an increase in hospitalizations, on January 7, 2022, British Columbia’s Provincial Health Officer announced an order requiring employers to re-activate their COVID-19 Safety Plans.
Through one sentence in a 304-page bill enacted in 2021, SB 21-271 criminalized violations of Colorado’s restrictive-covenant statute, section 8-2-113, C.R.S. Effective March 1, 2022, violations of section 8-2-113 are a Class 2 Misdemeanor.
On January 3, 2022, Minnesota OSHA adopted federal OSHA’s COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing Emergency Standard (ETS) by reference in the State Register.
Employee health screening steps, including temperature checks, have become common. This post covers measures that require employers to take employees’ temperatures and/or conduct other screening procedures.
Nearly two-and-a-half years after it was originally proposed, the Allegheny County Council passed a Paid Sick Leave law to require employers to provide certain employees in Allegheny County with up to 40 hours of paid sick time per year.
On December 22, 2021, the New York Department of Labor (Department) issued final regulations regarding the New York State Sick Leave Law (NYSSLL), which has been in effect since September 30, 2020.
At their final meeting of the year, city councilors in Portland, Maine left the city’s existing COVID-19 emergency order in place, thereby triggering a hazard pay requirement and creating a $19.50 hourly wage starting January 1, 2022.
Washington Governor Jay Inslee announced that employers may wait to begin collecting premiums from employees for the new Washington Cares Act, while legislation is under consideration to formalize this collection pause.
On December 17, 2021, when the deadline for implementing the EU Whistleblowing Directive expires – or, at the latest, when corresponding national whistleblower protection laws come into force – member states will face changes in whistleblower protection.