Laborsphere

Part 26 of “The Restricting Covenant” Series: COVID-19 Edition

The global COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact employers and their employees’ work activities in a variety of ways. Millions of workers have been terminated, laid off or furloughed. Companies have shifted to remote workforces either partially or completely. Courts around the country continue to grapple with suspended or stayed proceedings. This pandemic is presenting some unique challenges and complications to many areas of the law, including restrictive covenant law, as discussed in this COVID-19-themed edition of The Restricting Covenant Series.

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No Reprieve: New Title IX Regulations Take Effect as Scheduled

Educational institutions hoping for a last-minute reprieve from the new Title IX regulations scheduled to go into effect August 14 are out of luck. Earlier this week, the Southern District of New York denied a nationwide preliminary injunction sought by the state of New York to delay implementation of the new regulations (State of New York, et al. v. United States Department of Education, et al.).

And, just days later, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) defeated another preliminary injunction motion filed by 17 states and the District of Columbia in federal court in Washington, D.C. (Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, et al. v. Elisabeth DeVos, et al.). A third preliminary injunction motion is pending in the District of Massachusetts — however, earlier this month, the court there denied a motion to expedite a hearing, stating that “a prompt September hearing is fully appropriate.”

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Modernized OFCCP Website Tools: The National Pre-Award Registry and VEVRAA Hiring Benchmark Database

On August 10, 2020, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) updated its website, including revamping the National Pre-Award Registry and the VEVRAA Hiring Benchmark Database. These new features provide helpful information to contactors and contracting officials and help to streamline navigation among OFCCP’s website content and tools. Furthermore, the updated tools enhance information accessibility to individuals with vision impairments.

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SDNY Vacates DOL Regulations Implementing the Families First Coronavirus Response Act

On August 3, 2020, the Southern District of New York’s August 3, 2020, ruling in New York v. U.S. Department of Labor, et al., No. 1:20-cv-03020 vacated portions of the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) regulations implementing the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). The following Q&A details the many ways in which the ruling will impact employers, including which DOL regulations were struck down by the order, the conditions under which employees can take FFCRA leave and the emergence of FFCRA-related lawsuits.

For the full alert, visit the Faegre Drinker website.

New Executive Order Requires Federal Agencies to Ensure That Contractors Do Not Use Foreign Labor to Displace American Workers

On August 3, 2020, President Donald Trump signed an executive order and released a related fact sheet in furtherance of the White House’s continued efforts to ensure that federal agencies focus on using United States labor in their federal contracts. This new executive order, which is arguably in furtherance of the previous Buy American Hire American executive orders, requires federal agencies to review their contracts and subcontracts from fiscal years 2018 and 2019 to assess whether their contractors used temporary foreign labor to perform the contracts in the United States or performed such contracts in foreign countries when the work had previously been performed in the United States. Federal agencies are then required to determine whether these temporary foreign labor hiring practices and/or offshoring practices negatively affected opportunities for United States workers. Within the next six months, agencies are required to submit reports to the Office of Management and Budget with their findings and to recommend, if necessary, any proposed corrective actions and the timelines to implement such actions.

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Tenth Circuit Ruling Shows Bostock’s Impact on Title VII Employment Litigation

In the wake of the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia, which extended federal statutory protections to the LGBT community, many have wondered how that decision might impact other employment litigation under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Tenth Circuit’s recent decision in Frappied v. Affinity Gaming Black Hawk, LLC, No. 19-1063 (10th Cir. 2020), suggests that, following Bostock, courts may begin to recognize new claims or even reconsider prior limitations on Title VII’s scope.

For the full alert, visit the Faegre Drinker website.