Hunton Employment & Labor Perspectives

Often times, the same set of underlying facts will give rise to both a contractual dispute between an employer and a union and an unfair labor practice charge. In these instances, an arbitrator usually decides the contract dispute, while it is the National Labor Relations Board's responsibility to determine the merit of the alleged unfair labor practice. Historically, however, the Board has commonly declined to hear unfair labor practice charges related to contractual disputes, and has instead deferred to arbitrators' earlier contractual rulings. Until recently, the burden fell on the party seeking to avoid Board deferral (usually the union) to prove that deferral was inappropriate. Practically, this ensured that employers could easily avoid addressing the same issues or facts in essentially duplicative litigation.

As we previously reported, federal courts around the country have slowly begun to take a more flexible approach to evaluating the enforceability of private FLSA settlement agreements, calling into question the widely-held, decades-old view that settlements of FLSA claims are unenforceable unless they are approved by the DOL or a court.  Last month, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas joined this slowly growing movement, holding that in individual FLSA lawsuits, court approval of the FLSA settlement agreement is not necessary if all parties are represented by counsel.

The IRS recently issued final versions of the new Forms 1094-B, 1095-B, 1094-C and 1095-C, along with related final Instructions.  These forms are for reporting of coverage in 2014, but are expected to be similar for reporting for 2015.

On February 20, 2015, a unanimous panel of the Fourth Circuit affirmed the exclusion of expert testimony by EEOC expert Kevin Murphy and the grant of summary judgment against the EEOC in its suit challenging Freeman’s use of credit and criminal background checks in the hiring process.  Although the Fourth Circuit’s decision expressed no opinion on the merits of the EEOC’s claim, the court found summary judgment was justified because the “sheer number of mistakes and omissions” in Murphy’s analysis rendered it unreliable.  While the court’s published opinion cited the ...

Please join Hunton & Williams LLP for a complimentary webinar on Thursday, March 12, 2015
2:00 pm ET – 3:30 pm ET

Program will cover the following:

• NLRB’s “Quickie Election” rules that will go into effect in April 2015
• The controversial “micro” bargaining unit rules that make it easier for a union to get its foot in the door
• Practical things you can do NOW to foster a union free environment
• Important steps to best posture your organization in the event of a union campaign

Hunton & Williams LLP will seek CLE credit for this program in CA, FL, GA, NC, NY, TX and VA. Credit hours are not ...

The U.S. Supreme Court is considering a case that could have important implications to disparate impact analysis, including on criminal background checks.  The case also foreshadows further challenges from the Texas Attorney General to aggressive positions taken by federal enforcement agencies in regard to disparate impact.  The case is Texas Department of Housing & Community Affairs, et al., v. The Inclusive Communities Project, Inc., Case No. 13-1371, and is being argued by the Texas Attorney General.

“Ban the Box” Laws

At least thirteen states, the District of Columbia, and almost 100 cities and counties have passed so-called “ban the box” laws, which restrict the scope of permissible investigations into job applicants’ criminal history, and, in some cases, the timing of such inquiries.

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors recently enacted two ordinances – which are being called the “Retail Workers Bill of Rights” – that provide extensive new protections to employees of “formula retail establishments” in San Francisco.  The new ordinances regulate how covered employers manage their workers’ schedules and impose additional financial and administrative burdens on those employers.

In December 2014, the government issued new proposed rules regarding the requirements for providing a summary of benefits and coverage (SBC). Simultaneous with the proposed rules, the government also published an updated SBC template and uniform glossary.

Twenty-three states and the District of Columbia have enacted laws which decriminalize the use of marijuana for medical purposes.  Under those statutory schemes, individuals with qualified medical conditions may become registered cardholders and obtain cannabis for medical purposes, often from state-regulated dispensaries.  These developments present an array of new challenges for employers to navigate.