Contraceptives_iStock_000029626228SmallIn Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc., the Supreme Court struck down the contraceptive mandate as applied to certain for-profit employers.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and its regulations require group health plans to cover women’s preventive care without any cost sharing requirements. The Health and Human Services department issued guidelines that

Same Sex MarriageLast week, the United States Department of Labor (“DOL”) announced a proposed rule that would extend the Family and Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”) to provide spousal leave to employees in same-sex marriages. The proposed rule is currently open for comment and will not become final for some time.

Currently, FMLA allows eligible employees of covered

EmailThreatening to overturn current Board precedent, the National Labor Relations Board (“Board” or “NLRB”) has invited interested individuals and organizations to submit briefs addressing whether employees should have the right to use employer-provided e-mail and electronic communications systems for union organizing and any other activity protected by the National Labor Relations Act (“NLRA”). A successful

WorkersCompIn a decision reversing 30 years of precedent, the Missouri Supreme Court recently abandoned the “exclusive causation” standard previously applied to workers’ compensation retaliation claims in favor of the considerably more lenient “contributing factor” standard. See Templemire v. W & M Welding, Inc., SC93132, 2014 WL 1464574 (Mo. Apr. 15, 2014) (en banc).

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College style football on field with a pile of moneyIn a decision with the potential to change the landscape of major college sports, a National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”) Administrative Law Judge (“ALJ”) ruled that scholarship football players at Northwestern University are employees of the university and, therefore, entitled to hold an election to decide whether or not they wish to be represented by

ACA Delay_Stethoscope_Flag_iStock_000028144508SmallOn February 10, 2014 the Department of the Treasury issued final regulations under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) that delay enforcement of the shared responsibility penalties for mid-size employers until 2016. Mid-size employers are employers with 50-99 full-time employees in the preceding calendar year. Full-time employees consist of employees who work 30

Vote red grunge stampOn February 5, 2014, the National Labor Relations Board announced proposed amendments to its regulations, which would make it easier for unions to organize employees. The proposed amendments would permit unions to hold workplace elections more quickly after filing an election petition. The majority of elections now take place 45 to 60 days after the

Doctor with medical backgroundIn Muzaffar v. Aurora Health Care Southern Lakes, Inc., 2013 WL 6199233 (E.D. Wis. Nov. 27, 2013), the federal district court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin held that the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (“EMTALA”) anti-retaliation provision applied to protect a private, non-employed physician with staff privileges at a hospital from