June 4, 2019
Breaking from SCOTUS: Supreme Court Says Title VII’s EEOC Filing Rule Isn’t Jurisdictional
On June 3, 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court held that first filing a charge with the EEOC is not a jurisdictional requirement for a claimant to pursue her case in federal district court. Title VII of the federal Civil Rights A…
Law Firm Launches Convenient & Affordable Compliance Solution
The Coppola Firm is pleased to announce the first of its kind in Upstate New York: online sexual harassment prevention training by licensed attorneys. Recognizing that businesses of all sizes, particularly small businesses…
Secure Act Passes the House of Representatives
In a fairly rare but welcome act of bipartisanship, the House passed the Secure Act, legislation intended to help the country’s small businesses. Among other things, the Act will: make it easier for small businesses …
HR Alert: Pre-Employment Testing for Marijuana to be Unlawful In NYC
The New York City Administrative Code now makes it unlawful for most NYC employers to test employees for marijuana as a condition of employment. This became law on May 10, 2019 and becomes effective in one year, that is, o…
HR Alert: U.S. Supreme Court to Hear Cases on LGBTQ+ Workplace Bias
During its next term, which begins in October, the U.S. Supreme Court plans to hear three cases that should result in a ruling about whether federal workplace discrimination laws (commonly known as Title VII) protect sexua…
Employers Must Not Extend Or Delay Employees’ FMLA Benefits
In a recent opinion issued by the federal Department of Labor (DOL), employers are cautioned not to delay designating an employee’s leave as protected by the federal Family & Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”). This means that…
HR Alert: Train the Trainer Class on Compliant Sexual Harassment Prevention
New York sexual harassment laws now require each employer – no matter how large or small – to train its entire workforce on how to eliminate and avoid sexual harassment. The first annual training must be comple…
HR Alert: Proposed OT Rule Open for Comment
For employers wishing to have their voices heard, the comment period for the federal Overtime Rules Revision, which we recently wrote about, is open through May 21, 2019. Why do it? It makes sense to ensure policy makers h…
HR Alert: Proposed Overtime Rule Drastically Expands Employees’ Eligibility For Overtime
Under current federal law, an employee who earns less than $455 per week ($23,660 annually) is required to be paid overtime when she works more than 40 hours per week. In early March 2019, the United States Department of L…
HR Alert: Can Employers Use Compensation History To Justify Wage Disparities Between Men & Women?
The United States Supreme Court has reversed a landmark decision that would have prevented employers from relying on an employee’s compensation history to justify pay disparities between men and women. The Supreme Court di…