May 10, 2024 By: Dylan W. Wiseman and Sarah Andrzejczak On April 23, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission approved and issued its final rule effectively banning employers’ use of non-compete agreements (subject to very few exceptions). The rule becomes effective 120 days after publication in the Federal Register, heralding yet another stride towards enhanced employee mobility. Despite the unfavorable reception from many employers, it’s important to understand that all is not lost ...
Five years ago, the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act of 2019 (the “SECURE Act”) made several significant changes to certain distributions required pursuant to Internal Revenue Code (“Code”) Section 401(a)(9) (“Required Minimum Distributions” or “RMDs”). The changes related to the RMD ‘10-Year Rule’ (summarized in greater detail below) have proven to be particularly difficult to interpret ...
Saleform 2012 is one of the most widely used contract formulars for the sale and purchase of second hand tonnage. The Saleform has its origins back to 1925 and was adopted by BIMCO in 1956. Since then, the Saleform has been amended several times, latest in 2012 ...
In our fourth article in the series focusing on the risk of discrimination in the workplace, we consider the protected characteristic of pregnancy and maternity, the common issues that arise and what employers should do to avoid claims of discrimination. Despite the Equality Act 2010 (EqA) making it unlawful to discriminate against women because of pregnancy or maternity leave, women continue to face significant challenges in the workplace when they become parents ...
On 23 April 2024 the U.S.A.’s Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a final rule banning non-compete clauses in employee contracts. The rule will take effect six months following formal publication.1 The scope of the rule is an absolute and immediate prohibition of non-compete clauses, with the obligation on employers to serve notice on employees informing them they are no longer bound by the clause ...
As the first round of H-1B Cap selections ended on April 1, 2024, employers began looking for options to sponsor highly qualified employees to fill positions of need. We outlined some options for those not selected in a previous client alert, including L-1 visas for intracompany transfers, O-1 visas for extraordinary ability individuals, J-1 and F-1 visas for students and other country-specific options ...
Mamo TCV Advocates in collaboration with the Foundation for Human Resources Development (FHRD) will once again be organising the course entitled ‘Award in the Practical Applications of Maltese Employment Law’. This course shall consist of a number of lectures on various topics related to Maltese employment law including employment contracts, termination of employment, occupational health and safety matters, employee data processing and immigration issues ...
By: Sarah Andrzejczak On April 29, 2024, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued new enforcement guidance on workplace harassment in a step toward fostering a more inclusive workplace environment. This guidance serves as a crucial resource for employers striving to uphold fairness and equality for all employees, irrespective of gender identity. The new guidance builds on the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2020 decision in Bostock v ...
Between September 2021 and May 2022, the words 'stress', 'mental health' and 'depression' appeared in more than 12,000 early conciliation or employment tribunal cases , demonstrating the prevalence of this subject matter in employment-related disputes. Today, more than ever, employers are expected to afford greater consideration to workplace conditions that do or could impact upon employees’ mental health ...
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) has submitted its final version of enforcement guidance on workplace harassment. We previously reported on the new guidance when it was proposed in early October of 2023. This is the first time the EEOC has updated its workplace harassment guidance since 1999. Some of the new topics addressed include remote work, the #MeToo movement and the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia ...
The Presidential Administration has not approved amendments to the second reading of the draft law on turnover fines for personal data (“PD”) leaks Despite the positive review of the draft law from the Government Commission, the State Legal Department of the President has prepared a ****negative review**** of the draft law on ****turnover fines**** for businesses for ****PD leaks**** ...
Two Montréal landmarks have proudly hosted some of the city?s most memorable sporting events. The Olympic Stadium and the IGA Stadium (Figures 1 and 2), which have been and remain quintessential in our sporting history, are in need of renovations so that sports fans can continue to ?raise the roof? for years to come. Figure 1: The Olympic Stadium: A prominent feature of the Montréal skyline. Figure 2: The National Bank Open at the IGA stadium ...
On April 23, 2024, the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) published its final rule increasing salary threshold amounts required for certain employees to be exempt from federal Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”) overtime requirements. The new rule is scheduled to take effect on July 1, 2024. Based on DOL estimates, the rule will expand overtime protection to cover more than 4 million additional workers within the first year ...
By: Leah Lively and Alexandra Shulman On April 23, 2024, the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Wage and Hour Division (WHD) announced a final rule, “Defining and Delimiting the Exemptions for Executive, Administrative, Professional (EAP), Outside Sales and Computer Employees,” increasing the salary threshold for an employee to qualify for exempt status under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The final rule takes effect on July 1, 2024 ...
On April 17, 2024 the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) Division of Examinations (the “Division”) issued a Risk Alert regarding investment advisers’ compliance with amended Investment Advisers Act Rule 206(4)-1 (the “Marketing Rule”) ...
As noted in our May 3, 2023 and August 14, 2023 client alerts, Congress enacted the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) in late 2022, expanding protections for pregnant workers. Pursuant to the Act, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) was directed to make rules to implement the statute. On April 15, 2024, the EEOC issued its final rule and interpretive guidance, which will go into effect on June 18, 2024 ...
Do social media users have a fair choice between giving up their privacy and paying a subscription fee? The European Data Protection Board has given its opinion on what’s fair for large platforms in the latest shake up of personalised online advertising. When it comes to justifying processing personal data for targeted advertising under EU data protection laws, Meta (along with other online platforms) has been feeling the squeeze ...
On April 23, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) held a public hearing where members voted 3-2 to adopt a final rule effectively banning employers from enforcing non-compete clauses against employees with very limited exceptions. This rule, which is largely similar to the proposed rule first announced by the Commission in January of 2023, imposes a “comprehensive ban on new non-competes with all workers ...
Government Commission approves positive review of draft law on turnover fines for leaks of personal data (“PD”) We previously informed you about the draft law that would impose ****turnover fines for PD leaks****, as well as fines for the failure to ****notify the Russian Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media (“Roskomnadzor”) about the intention to process PD**** and the illegal transfer (****leak****) of PD ...
A podcast series that explores privacy themes within some of the most well-known movies. In this episode, William Moore and Max Schrems discuss “The Social Network”. Whether you are a film buff, a privacy advocate, or simply curious about the intersection of storytelling and privacy, take a journey with us as we explore how the big screen tackles privacy ...
April 18, 2024 By: Leah Lively and Alexandra Shulman The Supreme Court of the United States issued an opinion on Wednesday, April 17, 2024, that will make it easier for employees to pursue discrimination claims against their employers based on job transfers or other non-pecuniary personnel decisions. In Muldrow v. City of St. Louis, Muldrow, a female police officer, alleged that she was transferred to a less desirable unit because a new supervisor preferred a male officer for the role ...
The United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) has issued a final rule to implement the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (“PWFA”). The final rule, which aims to provide clarity regarding the protections afforded to employees and duties imposed upon employers under the PWFA, is set to be published in the Federal Registrar on April 19, 2024. It will thereafter become effective on June 18, 2024, 60 days after its publication ...
18 – 24 March 2024 marked Neurodiversity Celebration Week, a week held annually which aims to challenge misconceptions regarding neurological differences. We look at what employers can do to improve neurodiversity support in the workplace going forward. Neurodiversity is an umbrella term which is used to describe alternative ways of thinking and learning and it includes conditions such as autism, dyslexia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) ...