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What I’ve Been Reading This Week


Let us call this a week to take a step back and get a broad overview of topics that do not always dominate the labor & employment law landscape.  While I did want to recognize the brewing “battle” to become the next Labor Secretary, a nod to COBRA and flexible work schedules are a bit of a different topic from the norm.  Nevertheless, the below articles are worth a quick read, even for those that do not deal with the matters on a routine basis.

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


A Closer Look at Possible at Labor Secretary Nominees

On the heels of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders making his interest known about wanting to become the next Labor Secretary, Politico has published an article identifying several potential nominees for the position in a President Joe Biden administration.  While it is certainly possible that another candidate will emerge, this is an interesting list to take note of and sheds some light on potential candidates for the position.


Millennials & Flexible Work Weeks

Nick Levine at Refinery29 wrote a recent article in which he noted that a recent study found nine out of ten millennials expect a flexible work week.  As the study recognizes, a majority of millennials favored a flexible work week before the coronavirus pandemic hit earlier this year.  Since then, the number of millennials wanting a flexible work week has continued to rise.  For those employers that employ millennials, this article is worth a quick read for insight on what this portion of the workforce is interested in, in regard to job benefits/perks.


COBRA: A Primer

Some employers and employees might have dealt with the Consolidated Omnibus Budge Reconciliation Act (“COBRA”) previously.  In essence, COBRA provides some employees the right to continue health insurance coverage under certain situations such as voluntary or involuntary job loss, reduction in hours worked, transition between jobs, and other life events.  Sheryl Estrada at HRDive has published a COBRA primer for those looking for a 30,000 foot overview of the matter and a quick refresher on the topic.

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