This is a weekly post spotlighting labor topics in focus by the US legislative and executive branches during the previous week. In this issue, we cover..
To embed, copy and paste the code into your website or blog:
The Biden Administration at 100 Days. President Joe Biden recently marked his 100th day in office, and labor and employment policy changes have been at the forefront of his administration’s agenda. The enactment of the American Rescue Plan Act, passage of the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act (H.R. 842) in the U.S. House of Representatives, rescission of the independent contractor rule by the U.S. Department of Labor, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) development of a COVID-19 emergency temporary standard (currently in flux) are just a few examples of the policy changes that have already occurred or been undertaken. We have some brief rundowns of the most significant labor and employment actions of the last 100 days, both in Congress and at the federal agencies.
Congressâs Most Family-Friendly Member
Rosa DeLauro has spent 30 years in the House fighting for an adequate Child Tax Credit and paid family leave. Sheâs finally getting someplace.
Elizabeth Warren first met Connecticut congresswoman Rosa DeLauro two decades ago, long before she became a senator from Massachusetts. DeLauro is famous among D.C. politicos for hosting twice-monthly dinner parties to which she invites academics, policy experts, and journalists to talk to members of Congress. âSheâs always driving the debate with an intellectual energy thatâs uncommon around here,â Sen. Sherrod Brown, a frequent guest, told me.
This particular evening, Warren, then a Harvard professor who had just co-authored a book about why so many American families were mired in debt, was the star of the show. âShe invited me to come to dinner and she said sheâd have a few people over,â Warren recalls. Instead, she found DeLauroâs living roomâp
To embed, copy and paste the code into your website or blog:
Last month, the Biden administration unveiled its American Families Plan, an initiative focused on supporting children and families that includes making investments in education, extending tax cuts to lower and middle-income workers, and making child care more affordable.
Also included in the plan is a proposal to create a national paid family and medical leave program. Currently, the only law at the federal level governing family and medical leave – such as leave as to care for a new child, care for a seriously ill family member, or recover from a serious health condition – is the Family and Medical Leave Act, and leave provided under the FMLA is
Shutterstock.com
A welter of laws and regulations covers employers and employees as workplaces begin to reopen after COVID-19 closures and restrictions.
With new state laws in play and state regulations that have changed seemingly every couple of weeks, itâs no wonder businesses are confused.
The
Business Journal asked local experts to help untangle the legal aspects of returning to work and maintaining a safe environment for employees and customers.
WORKPLACE LAWS
Broadly speaking, employers can require employees to return to the workplace, said George Russo, director of the Colorado Springs regional office of Employers Council and an employment attorney.