The Beltway Buzz® is a weekly update summarizing labor and employment news from inside the Beltway and clarifying how what’s happening in Washington, D.C., could impact your business.

USCIS Releases Proposal to Eliminate Sixty-Day Grace Period. Today, U.S. Citizenship and

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Ogletree Deakins Insights

UK Tribunal Overturns Retail Workers’ Win in Equal Pay Case

By Daniella McGuigan

September 11, 2026

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Quick Hits

Female retail employees in the UK sued Next Retail Limited for paying them less than male warehouse workers for work of equal value.
The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) determined that recruiting and retention needs at warehouses were legitimate

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Ogletree Deakins Insights

Equal Pay in Germany: Closing the Gap, but Not to the Top

By Julia S. Kulmegies & LL.M. (Tongji Shanghai 同济大学)

September 11, 2026

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Quick Hits

If an employee earns less than a male colleague who performs the same or equivalent work, gender-based disadvantage is presumed under German employment law.
Employers may rebut this presumption by showing objective, gender-neutral reasons for differences in compensation.

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Ogletree Deakins Insights

California Aligns With Federal Law on Arbitration Agreements

By Spencer C. Skeen & Katie M. Greenbaum

September 11, 2026

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Quick Hits

California enacted AB 2155, providing that a written arbitration agreement is unenforceable under state law to the extent it is unenforceable under the FAA.
Arbitration agreements remain valid unless certain exemptions apply.
The state law will take effect

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Ogletree Deakins Insights

The DoW SkillBridge Program: An Overview for Employers (Part I of II)

By Adam J. Crane & James A. Patton Jr.

September 11, 2026

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Quick Hits

SkillBridge provides employers with access to talented military members who are in the process of becoming civilians.
These individuals continue to be paid by the military while placed with SkillBridge employers.
To participate, employers can either register to

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Ogletree Deakins Insights

25 Years After 9/11: Employer Obligations to Inform Affected Workers of Victim Compensation Funds

By Publisher & Zachary V. Zagger

September 10, 2026

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Quick Hits

The 9/11 Notice Act and regulations require employers to notify “where practicable” current and former employees who worked in affected areas of Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn of potential eligibility for federal compensation funds.
The funds are not limited

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Ogletree Deakins Insights

NLRB Upholds Confidentiality Provision in Arbitration Agreement in Part

By Christopher C. Murray & Zachary V. Zagger

September 9, 2026

Quick Hits

The NLRB upheld an arbitration confidentiality provision to the extent it protected the confidentiality of the proceedings and the outcome, while found that the provision’s blanket prohibition on disclosing the existence of arbitration was unlawful.
The NLRB also

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Ogletree Deakins Insights

The Progressive Impact of NOM-035 on Labor Reforms in Mexico

By Alejandra Romero

September 4, 2026

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Quick Hits

NOM-035, published in 2018, established Mexico’s first explicit regulatory framework addressing psychosocial risk factors and employer obligations related to employees’ physical and mental well-being in the workplace.
The standard catalyzed a series of labor reforms including expanded vacation

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Ogletree Deakins Insights

Beltway Buzz, September 4, 2026

By James J. Plunkett

September 4, 2026

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House Returns to D.C., Passes Bill to Avert Government Shutdown. Members of the U.S. House of Representatives were back in Washington, D.C., this week following their August recess, and they got to work quickly, passing a priority bill to extend

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Ogletree Deakins Insights

SEVP Ramps Up Scrutiny of Curricular Practical Training Authorizations

By W. First Born & Michael A. Masse

September 3, 2026

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Quick Hits

SEVP issued Broadcast Message 2608-01 on August 12, 2026, signaling heightened scrutiny of CPT authorizations that may not satisfy regulatory requirements.
Broadcast Message 2608-02, issued August 24, 2026, provides additional Q&A guidance on when practical training is considered

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