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What I've Been Reading This Week


I found it difficult to narrow things down this week and not highlight article after article after article (although I was certainly tempted.)  With that being said, I call attention in particular to an article from James Petrie in which he has a few ideas on how employers can limit potential exposure when hosting office parties this month.  While all of the four articles I highlighted this week are worth reading, Petrie's article in particular might be of the most use to readers in the coming weeks.

As always, below are a couple articles that caught my eye this week.


Joe Biden Proposes Prosecuting Companies For Labor Law Violations

Last weekend at a forum in Iowa, Democratic Presidential candidate Joe Biden stated that consideration should be given to prosecuting companies for labor law violations.  Currently, the National Labor Relations Board cannot impose punitive fines and instead can only collect back pay for workers, in the case of a violation of the National Labor Relations Act.  According to Biden, he would allow for the fines to be imposed on managers that violate labor laws and also consider criminal prosecutions.  Now while Biden's comments came at a Teamsters forum (and a traditionally "safe" event in which to make these pro-union comments), this comments further establish that Democrats are making aggressive plays to win over union members during this primary and general election campaign.


A Few Timely Reminders For Employers to Consider In Regard to Office Parties

Many workplaces are likely holding parties this month and with those parties comes potential exposure to liability for employers.  Now while this article from James Petrie does not suggest that employers do away with these office parties altogether, he does provide a few suggestions for employers to consider, including limiting (or entirely excluding) alcohol at these parties, taking steps to minimize the chance of sexual harassment occurring, as well as being mindful of diversity in regard to displaying and celebrating certain aspects of the holiday.


Heading Into the 4th Year of President Trump's Presidency, Host of Vacancies at Federal Labor Agencies Persists

Bloomberg Law published an article this past Wednesday in which it noted that key labor positions at many federal labor agencies remain unfilled, including an Assistant Secretary position at the Occupational Safety and Health Administration ("OSHA"), a Republican and Democratic Commission seats at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ("EEOC"), as well as two Democratic seats at that National Labor Relations Board ("NLRB"), among other key vacancies.  The article does point out that some of these vacancies are on "purpose", in order to leave policy decisions up to Republican majorities or groups of politically appointed leaders.  However, the article does recognize that although some of these vacancies have been allowed to exist for a prolonged period, there is some unease among businesses and labor groups which have argued that the vacancies have affected the pace and direction of policymaking and enforcement of certain workplace protections.  With the upcoming election and a potentially drawn out impeachment proceeding in the Senate at the start of next year, I would not be surprised if many of these vacancies at certain federal labor agencies continue for the foreseeable future.


White House Holds Summit on Child Care and Paid Leave

Yesterday, the White House held a summit in regard to one of the prominent labor and employment law topics dominating the news:  paid leave.  The summit brought together governors, senators, business leaders, and officials from the President Donald Trump administration in an effort to push for some tangible action on paid leave.  As the article from Fox Business points out, although no particular piece of legislation was announced, the summit sought to provide an avenue in which paid leave can find bipartisan support in order to move through Congress.  Stay tuned.

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