Fisher Phillips in the News Archive

Nashville (February 28, 2020) – Fisher Phillips, a national labor and employment law firm representing employers, welcomes Ariel Kelly as an Associate in the firm’s Nashville office. Ariel arrives on the heels of last month’s announcement about the firm’s lease for over 4,000 square feet of new office space in the city’s West End.

Global companies are scrambling to protect their employees as the threat of the coronavirus continues to rise. As Howard Mavity pointed out in an interview with The Washington Post, companies are striving to provide meaningful guidance and they have “now been asking for policies and procedures instead of one-off advice.”

As the polarization over the country’s political landscape seeps into the workplace, HR continues to grapple with how to keep the peace among employees.

In an interview with Corporate Counsel, Cleveland partner Jeffrey Smith cautions that the Board’s advisory opinion may, in fact, “have the impact of limiting the ability to work as corporate counsel at another company if that other position is both legal and business in nature.”

In an interview with The Recorder, Rich Meneghello described this decision as “the latest example of seeing the ABC test in action and a demonstration of how potentially devastating it could be to the gig model.”

SACRAMENTO (Feb. 21, 2020) – Fisher Phillips, a national labor and employment law firm representing employers, announces the additions of Megan Nevin and April Perkins as associates in its Sacramento office.

As business leaders focus on closing the gender pay gap and states enact broader laws covering fair pay for more workers, HR professionals may want to review their organization’s compensation policies and practices.

A recent investigation in Oregon showed that the state paid hundreds of employees millions of dollars while on paid administrative leave. In Oregon, there are no statewide standards when it comes to placing employees on paid administrative leave.

DENVER (February 19, 2020) – Fisher Phillips, a national labor and employment law firm representing employers, announces that Katarina Niparko has joined the firm as an associate in the Denver office.

Fisher Phillips, a national labor and employment law firm representing employers, announces the addition of Jennifer Barrett DiMarzo as an associate in the Boston office.

There are times when employees may need private space at work. Perhaps a religious employee needs to pray, or a nursing mother needs to express breastmilk. Maybe a worker needs a quiet space to focus on mental health.

Determining whether an individual is covered by the FMLA and whether requested time off is protected can sometimes be tricky.

Fort Lauderdale (February 10, 2020) – Fisher Phillips, a national labor and employment law firm representing employers, is pleased to announce that Fort Lauderdale Regional Managing Partner Suzanne Bogdan and partner Charles Caulkins were recently honored at the Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce 110th Annual Meeting.

A first-of-its-kind ruling from the Third Circuit cleared the way for Philadelphia to begin enforcing its ban on employers inquiring about salary histories of job candidates. In an interview with Law360, Samantha Bononno, partner in the firm’s Philadelphia office, explained that “this is going to result in some significant changes for employers.

New Orleans (February 7, 2020) – Fisher Phillips, a national labor and employment law firm representing employers, announces the addition of Andrew J. Baer as Of Counsel in the firm’s New Orleans office. 

Increasingly, companies are removing "he" and "she" from their employee handbooks and replacing them with gender-neutral pronouns, such as "they".  The companies are doing this to make nonbinary individuals who do not identify as male or female feel included.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill Feb. 6 that would change labor law in many ways. Secret-ballot union elections could be more easily bypassed by signing union authorization cards, classifying workers as independent contractors would be more difficult, and an expansive definition of "joint employer" would be revived.

In a decision that could have national implications for the wage equity movement, the Third Circuit ruled in favor of Philadelphia’s ban on asking job applicants their salary history.

Though fear of the Coronavirus is sweeping the country, Pennsylvania residents are more likely to catch the common flu, according to the state Department of Health.

Many states have raised their minimum wage, and employers in those states need to be aware of the increase to stay in compliance with the new rates.

New Jersey became the first state to enact a law requiring severance pay for workers during mass layoffs.

There are many preventive measures employers can take to safeguard against the coronavirus, but when implementing such measures employers need to be cautious of legal ramifications.

In an interview with EHS Today, partner Howard Mavity describes what steps employers can take to protect their workplace against the coronavirus.

Maryland has joined 13 other states plus the District of Columbia to bar employers from asking job applicants about their criminal history on the initial job application.

Fort Lauderdale, FL (January 29, 2020) – Fisher Phillips, a national labor and employment law firm representing employers, announces the addition of Alex Castro as an associate in the firm’s Fort Lauderdale office.   

Governor Phil Murphy signed S-3170 into law amending the state Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN).

Employers are trying to cut through the noise to determine what they can and should be doing to protect their workforce in the face of the rapidly-spreading coronavirus. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, partner Howard Mavity said that “[e]mployers are to a point now of trying to stay ahead of the curve.”

Sacramento Partner Benjamin M. Ebbink recently spoke with the Daily Journal regarding several new California proposed laws that add carve-outs to the state’s AB 5 worker classification law. The bills add exemptions for alarm service workers, freelance journalists, and small business owners, among others. 

Philadelphia, PA (January 27, 2020) – Fisher Phillips, a national workplace law firm representing employers, announces it will move its Philadelphia area office location to the iconic Two Logan Square building in Center City Philadelphia to accommodate the firm’s growing practice. Fisher Phillips has signed a lease for nearly 21,000 SF on the 12th floor and expects to occupy the space in April.

Fisher Phillips, a national workplace law firm representing employers, announces the addition of Michael R. Miller as senior counsel and Timothy Tack as partner in the firm’s Tampa office. Mike and Tim are powerhouse attorneys in the Professional Employer Organization (PEO) industry in Florida and across the country and join from Miller Tack & Madson.

News outlets are preoccupied with alarming updates about the spread of coronavirus – including several cases identified in the United States – and employers are left wondering what steps they can take to prevent the spread and protect their workforce.

Following an interview with Overdrive, San Francisco Regional Managing Partner Jason A. Geller offers his thoughts on the trucking industry’s appeal of AB 5, California’s worker classification law.

Employers across the country are dealing with CBD use by employees and the rise of legalization of recreational and medical marijuana.

In most industries, federal laws protect workers with disabilities, including mental illness. Church, however, is an exception.

In a new round of guidance memos, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) weighed in on eight new issues, including workplace investigations and the legality of a “voluntary” arbitration agreement.

January is a good time for employers to review their employee handbooks and make sure they accurately reflect new workplace laws at the federal, state and local levels.

Employers covered by the Occupational Safe and Health Administration’s (OSHA’s) recording-keeping rule must post their 2019 summary of work-related injuries and illnesses at the worksite between February 1st and April 30th.

The Orlando Business Journal turned to Justin McConnell for insight into what workplace bills Florida employers should keep their eye on during the state’s 2020 legislative session.

Nashville, TN (January 13, 2020) – Fisher Phillips, a national labor and employment law firm representing employers, is excited to announce its launch of an office in Nashville, Tennessee. The firm has been open for business and operating out of temporary space in the city since July 2019, and now Fisher Phillips can make its presence official after securing over 4,000 square feet of office space in Nashville’s West End.

ORLANDO (January 13, 2020) – Fisher Phillips, a national labor and employment law firm representing employers, announces the addition of Alex Desrosiers as an associate in the firm’s Orlando office.  

In interviews with Business Insurance and HR Dive, Marty Heller, Atlanta partner in the firm’s national Wage and Hour practice, breaks down the Department of Labor’s (DOL) regulations on joint employer liability under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

San Francisco Regional Managing Partner offers commentary on a federal judge's decision to indefinitely expand a temporary restraining order exempting compliance with California's AB 5.

The Garden State’s lawmakers approved a bill that would compel employers to give more notice and pay severance to laid-off workers. The bill, which only applies to employers with 100 or more full- or part-time workers laying off 50 or more people could be the first of its kind in the country.

With the rapid evolution of technology and employment law, 2020 is looking to be a challenging year for compliance with changing workplace policies and regulations.

DENVER (January 9, 2020) – Fisher Phillips, a national labor and employment law firm representing employers, announces that Rina Grassotti has joined the firm as an associate in the Denver office.

For employers and frontline managers, understanding the National Labor Relations Act (ACT) in terms of the workers it covers, the rights it protects and how it is enforced, is critical to protecting a business from litigation.

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) enacted its first major update to overtime pay legislation in 15 years, taking effect on January 1. The revised FLSA standards, which determine if employees are eligible or exempt for overtime pay, will likely impact over 1 million workers who will become newly entitled to overtime protections.

California's controversial new independent-contractor test took effect Jan. 1, 2020 but several professional associations, businesses and workers are trying to halt its application to their respective industries. In an interview with SHRM, Todd Scherwin breaks down the three-pronged test, called the “ABC test” that determines how an employee should be classified.

Job applicants’ salary history can’t be required by New York employers under a new state law aimed at promoting pay equity by gender and race. The law – effective Jan. 6 – makes New York one of 13 states plus Puerto Rico that restrict both government and private-sector employers’ ability to use salary history queries.

DETROIT (January 6, 2020) – Fisher Phillips, a national workplace law firm representing employers, and The Murray Law Group, a boutique labor, employment, and immigration firm located in metropolitan Detroit have combined practices under the Fisher Phillips banner. As of January 1, 2020, the boutique’s attorneys joined Fisher Phillips, and the physical space located at 31780 Telegraph Road, Bingham Farms, Michigan, assumed the Fisher Phillips brand and became the firm’s 36th office location.