The Weekly Guide to Employment Law Developments

The Rocky Mountain Employer

Labor & Employment Law Updates

Terminating an Employee for Marijuana Use May Become Prohibited under HB 20-1089 Print Friendly and PDF
Colorado Family and Medical Leave Task Force: Final Report Issued

As discussed in last week’s blog, the Family and Medical Leave Implementation (“FAMLI”) Task Force issued its final report, which can be accessed here.

Read More
Print Friendly and PDF
Colorado Family and Medical Leave Task Force to File Final Report Next Week

Next week, the Family and Medical Leave Implementation (“FAMLI”) Task Force will issue its final report, consistent with the May 30, 2019 Senate Bill 19-188, which required the implementation of a paid family and medical leave program in Colorado based upon the bill’s 16 factors (the Task Force actually considered and voted on 26 factors).

Read More
Print Friendly and PDF
Happy Holidays! Print Friendly and PDF
Employers May Bar Non-Business Use Company Email and Prohibit Discussions About Workplace Investigations

In two major decisions issued this week, the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”) approved (1) broad restrictions on non-business use of work email systems and (2) company rules prohibiting discussions about ongoing workplace investigations.

Read More
Print Friendly and PDF
Colorado Employers May Cap But Not Take Away Accrued Vacation Pay Under New Rule

The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE) has finalized a new rule clarifying that companies may cap but not take away employees’ earned, unused vacation pay.

Read More
Print Friendly and PDF
Colorado Wage and Hour Update: Denver Minimum Wage Increased on Very Short Notice, with Major Changes in Colorado Wage and Hour Law Expected in 2020 Print Friendly and PDF
Happy Thanksgiving! Print Friendly and PDF
Annual Administrative Disposal of E-Verify Records Drawing Near Print Friendly and PDF
Colorado’s Minimum Wage to Increase in 2020, and Employers Should Brace for Patchwork of Differing City-Based Minimum Wages in the Future

Colorado employers should prepare for an increase in the state minimum wage from $11.10 to $12.00 per hour, and from $8.08 to $8.98 per hour for tipped employees, effective January 1, 2020. The 2020 increase is the final currently-planned wage increase under Amendment 70 of the Colorado Constitution. After 2020, the state minimum wage will be adjusted annually for cost of living increases.

Read More
Print Friendly and PDF
Employer Lawfully Refused to Hire Applicant for Fear of Future Medical Impairments, Appellate Court Holds

An employer did not violate the Americans With Disabilities Act (“ADA”) by refusing to hire an obese applicant based on the belief his weight created a high risk he would develop medical conditions in the future, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled.

Read More
Print Friendly and PDF
Workplace Confidentiality and Media Contact Rules Deemed Lawful Under Federal Labor Law

The National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”) recently held that workplace rules restricting employees from (1) divulging confidential client and vendor lists, and (2) responding to media inquiries on behalf of a company are lawful under the National Labor Relations Act (“Act”).

Read More
Print Friendly and PDF
“No-Rehire” Clauses Are a No-go in California

California has banned employers from including “no-rehire” provisions in employment dispute-related settlement agreements with its employees. No-rehire provisions prohibit the employee from applying for a job with that company in the future as a condition of the settlement. 

Read More
Print Friendly and PDF
Marijuana Businesses Must Comply With Federal Wage and Hour Laws

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit recently held that employers engaged in commercial cannabis activities must comply with wage and hour requirements under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”).

Read More
Print Friendly and PDF
U.S. Department of Labor Announces Employer-Friendly Proposed Rule for Tip Provisions

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced a proposed tip-pooling rule that would give certain employers more flexibility in distributing pooled tips. Under the proposed rule, employers who do not take a tip credit and pay employees the full minimum wage may include employees who are not customarily and regularly tipped employees, such as back-of-house employees like dishwashers and cooks, in a mandatory tip pool.

Read More
Print Friendly and PDF
Appeals Court Rules That McDonald’s Is Not a Joint Employer of Franchise Workers

A Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals panel rejected McDonald’s franchise employees’ attempt to hold McDonald’s Corp. liable as a joint employer for alleged wage and hour violations, reasoning that the franchisee alone exerted control over the employees.

Read More
Print Friendly and PDF
U.S. Department of Labor Raises Salary Threshold for Wage and Hour Exemptions

The U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) announced its final overtime rule which updates the earnings thresholds necessary to exempt executive, administrative, or professional employees (“white collar exemptions”) from the Fair Labor Standards Act’s (“FLSA”) minimum wage and overtime pay requirements.

Read More
Print Friendly and PDF
California Employers Must Compensate Employees for Time Spent on Pre- and Post-Shift Tasks

California employers must compensate employees for all regularly occurring but difficult to track, pre-shift and post-shift tasks that take just a few minutes to complete, under a recent Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decision.

Read More
Print Friendly and PDF
California and New York Ban Employment Discrimination Based on Natural Hairstyles

This summer, California and New York became the first states to ban discrimination in employment based on natural hairstyles. The California and New York legislation, both titled the CROWN Act (“Create a Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural Hair”), amend California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) and the New York Human Rights Law (NYHRL) by…

Read More
Print Friendly and PDF
Misclassifying Employees as Independent Contractors Does Not by Itself Violate Federal Labor Law

Although misclassifying employees as independent contractors exposes companies to damages, steep penalties, and other liability, misclassification alone is not an Unfair Labor Practice under the National Labor Relations Act (“NLRA”), the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”) has held.

Read More
Print Friendly and PDF