Return-to-Campus Considerations is a limited series addressing the legal and practical considerations relating to the coronavirus that institutions of higher education should keep in mind as students, faculty and staff return for the fall semester.
Continue Reading COVID-19 Accommodations Part II of Return-to-Campus Considerations
The Austin City Council is scheduled to vote Thursday, February 15 on a proposed city ordinance which would require all private businesses in the city to offer employees at least 8 paid sick days (or 64 sick leave hours) annually.
Under the proposed ordinance, employees would accrue 1 hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked, with the ability to start using the sick leave as soon as it is earned. If passed, eligible workers would be able to use sick time if they are hurt or ill, need to care for a family member who is injured or sick, require medical attention or have a doctor’s appointment for preventative care, among other things. If an employee does not utilize all earned sick leave during the applicable year, any accrued, unused leave may be “rolled over” to the next year.
Continue Reading Austin City Council to Consider Mandatory Paid Sick Leave
The National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”) recently adopted a new and employer welcomed standard for determining whether facially neutral workplace rules unlawfully interfere with the exercise of employee rights that may be protected by the National Labor Relations Act (“NLRA”).
Going forward, the NLRB will consider the following factors:
Continue Reading NLRB Establishes New Test for Determining Whether Workplace Rules Violate the NLRA
Employers often misconstrue the terms “non-exempt employee” and “hourly employee,” leading them to believe the terms are interchangeable. But, not all non-exempt employees are necessarily hourly employees. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) allows employers to pay their non-exempt employees on a salary basis as long as they meet minimum wage and overtime mandates. Paying certain non-exempt employees on a salary basis may prove a useful tool as healthcare institutions weigh changes in employee compensation practices necessitated by new FLSA regulations (previously discussed).
Continue Reading Compensating non-exempt employees using the fluctuating workweek method