Reset

Change in Law Regarding Employer Mandated Meetings

Effective January 1, 2010, Oregon law gives employees the right to opt out of certain employer mandated meetings and requires employers (regardless of the size) to post a communication in the workplace regarding that right.
Read More

The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA) Took Effect on

GINA prohibits discrimination by employers (and health insurers) on the basis of genetic information."Genetic information" is defined broadly to include, among other things, information about "the manifestation of a disease or disorder in family…
Read More

Diversity Lottery 2011 Opens

The U.S. Department of State opens entries for the Diversity Lottery 2011 (DV-2011) beginning October 2, 2009 at noon EDT, and ending November 30, 2009, at noon EST.
Read More

Federal Contractors Are Required to Use E-Verify for Many Federal Contracts Awarded On or After September 8, 2009

Companies who receive federal contracts on or after September 8, 2009, must use the government E-Verify system to confirm their employees' eligibility to work in the United States if the federal contract includes the Federal Acquisition Regulation E…
Read More

U.S. Department of Labor Sending Questionnaires to Certain H-1B Workers

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has begun sending detailed questionnaires to H-1B workers who are current or former employees of companies DOL is investigating. Please note that DOL states in the questionnaire that the H-1B worker is not required…
Read More

ICE Form I-9 Audit Initiative: Are Employers Prepared?; H-1B Numbers Remain Available

On July 1, 2009, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement ("ICE") issued a news release announcing that it is launching "a bold, new [Form I-9] audit initiative" and has issued 652 Notices of Inspection (NOIs) to employers nationwide.
Read More

Governor Kulongoski Signs Legislation Modifying Oregon's Mini-COBRA

In previous alerts, we informed you about changes to COBRA affected by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 ("ARRA").
Read More

Court Clarifies ADA Requirements

Last month U.S. District Court Judge Anna Brown made a ruling that adds some clarity to the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA) and Oregon Disability Law. In Neal v. Kraft Foods…
Read More

Recovery Act Model COBRA Notices Now Available

The Department of Labor has now posted model notices and corresponding instructions in their web site.
Read More

The IRS and Department of Labor post forms, facts, and clarifications of changes to COBRA as a result of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009

Last week, we notified you of the substantial changes to COBRA resulting from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (the "Recovery Act").
Read More

Significant Changes to COBRA Take Effect Immediately Under the New Recovery Act

On February 17, 2009, President Obama signed into law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 ("Recovery Act").
Read More

New H-1B Filings -- April 1 Deadline

April 1, 2009 is the filing deadline for new H-1B petitions to be made under the USCIS H-1B quota (assuming, as in the past, that H-1B quota availability will be immediately exhausted). USCIS may soon announce a longer filing window, as it did last…
Read More

Proposed Amendments to the ADA

Last week, the Senate and the House of Representatives passed a bill that significantly expands workplace protections for Americans with disabilities.
Read More

Supreme Court Decisions Likely to Result in Increased Number of Retaliation Claims

In two decisions issued on the same day at the end of May, the Supreme Court ruled that employees are protected from retaliation when they complain about discrimination in the workplace, adopting a broad interpretation of workers' rights under two…
Read More

Department of Homeland Security Responds to SSA No-Match

In October, we told you that the United States District Court for the Northern District of California granted an injunction against the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) new "Safe-Harbor Procedures for Employers Who Receive a No-Match Letter…
Read More

When Drug Policies and Employment Privacy Rights Collide

In a case involving the city of Woodburn, the Ninth Circuit held that an employer's policy of requiring pre-employment drug testing was unconstitutional as applied to the particular position the prospective employee applied for.
Read More

Employer's Liability to Excluding Third Parties from Work Premises

In a case involving the University of Oregon, the Oregon Court of Appeals made a favorable ruling for employers who exclude outside persons from their work premises in response to complaints by employees.
Read More

Revisions and Amendments to the Family and Medical Leave Act

The Department of Labor has released proposed revisions to the Family and Medical Leave Act ("FMLA") regulations.
Read More

Oregon's Domestic Partner Insurance Mandate

On February 5, 2008 the Oregon Insurance Division issued a bulletin mandating that all group health and life insurance policies issued or renewed in Oregon after March 31, 2008 include same-gender domestic partner coverage, if coverage is offered for…
Read More

Employment Law Changes in the New Year

The New Year has arrived! This means that all the statutory changes we discussed in our last two issues are now in full effect.
Read More

{{title}}

{{summary}}
Read More