Greenberg Traurig Shareholder John Richards and Associate Nicholas Corsano penned a guest article for Corporate Counsel following the recent Supreme Court ruling extending workplace protections to LGBT+ people. In their article titled, “Practical Implications for Employers on Recent SCOTUS Ruling Giving Title VII Protection for LGBT+ Employees,” Richards and Corsano offer advice for LGBT+ inclusion & engagement in the new virtual work environment.  To learn more about employee inclusivity and remote working conditions, read their…

As California enters Stage 2 of its “Resilience Roadmap” plan to reopen, California Governor Gavin Newsom and the California Department of Public Health issued further guidance on June 18, 2020, mandating all Californians wear face coverings in various “high-risk” settings.  The guidance updates a previous CDPH guidance (issued on April 1, 2020) that outlined best practices regarding the use of face coverings, but did not mandate their use state-wide. In light of the threat posed…

Whether the 5-4 Supreme Court decision in Thole vs. U.S. Bank on June 1 is “good news” for employers and will limit lawsuits by defined benefit participants, as some commentators have forecast, remains to be seen. From the perspective of advising fiduciaries how to discharge their responsibilities and avoid litigation, however, what the majority opinion means in practice should not be overlooked. Jeffrey Mamorsky and Jonathan Sulds delve into this issue in their column for …

Effective June 22, 2020, Massachusetts moves into Step 2 of Phase 2 of the Four-Phase Reopening Plan. Businesses permitted to reopen in Step 2 can resume operations under their sector-specific guidance. In addition, prior to opening, the business must meet all safety standards, create a COVID-19 control plan, and complete a self-certification. Read the full GT Alert, “Massachusetts Updates Sector-Specific Safety Standards for Phase 2 Step 2 of Economic Reopening.”…

On June 17, 2020, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued guidance (see A.7.) stating employers cannot require workers to undergo Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) antibody testing (as distinguished from testing for the COVID-19 virus itself). Increased COVID-19 antibody (or “serology”) testing has been cited as a helpful tool because it aids in understanding the prevalence of the virus in the general population. It can also produce useful information about populations that may have…

Timothy Long and Lindsay Hutner of global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP will participate in the Independent Contractor, Joint Employment Misclassification Litigation Teleconference program on June 30. Hosted by Bridgeport Continuing Education, the teleconference will discuss the challenges of how to classify independent contractors and employees and which employees are exempt. According to its website, Bridgeport is the “the largest California-based commercial provider of continuing legal education.” Bridgeport’s conferences, seminars and webinars focus on emerging…

What do a gay child-welfare advocate from Georgia, a transgender funeral home employee from Michigan, and a gay skydiving instructor from New York have in common? According to the Supreme Court of the United States, they were all discriminated against in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII) when their employers terminated their employment because of their sexual orientation and/or transgender status. In a groundbreaking 6-3 opinion by Justice Gorsuch…