We wrote in August about major updates to the Davis-Bacon regulations issued by the Department of Labor. The Final Rule updating those regulations became effective on October 23, 2023. In the time since, contractors have been working to ensure compliance with the new requirements, including, among other things, seeking approval from the DOL before taking
Andrew L. Levy
NLRB Grants Labor Unions Superpowers in Organizing. Is it Game over for Employers?
The National Labor Relations Board issued a groundbreaking decision in Cemex Construction Materials Pacific, LLC that will likely leave employers reeling. The Board cast aside over 50 years of established law, and created a new standard that will further tilt the playing field in favor of labor unions in the union election process. The new…
DOL Issues Major Updates to Davis-Bacon Regulations
On August 8, 2023, the Department of Labor issued a Final Rule that makes significant changes to contractor and subcontractor obligations on federal and federally-assisted construction projects. Contractors who perform work under projects covered by the Davis-Bacon Act should become familiar with their new obligations.
We have summarized below some of the key provisions of…
Appeals Court Finds Union Can Be Liable Under RICO Statute
In an important decision for employers and unions alike, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, the federal appeals court with jurisdiction over Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, held that a union could be liable under the federal Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. The decision opens a new avenue…
OSHA Withdraws COVID-19 Vaccination or Testing ETS
As explained in our previous post, on January 13, 2022, the United States Supreme Court blocked the OSHA vaccination or testing Emergency Temporary Standard (“ETS”) pending full consideration of the matter by the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. In response to the Supreme Court’s decision, OSHA is withdrawing the ETS, effective January 26, 2022.…
Supreme Court Blocks OSHA COVID-19 Vaccination or Test ETS, Allows Separate Vaccine Mandate for Health Care Workers to Take Effect
Yesterday, the United States Supreme Court issued hotly anticipated decisions on two federal government vaccine requirements in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
In a 6-3 decision, the Court blocked the Emergency Temporary Standard (“ETS”) issued by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) that required employees of larger employers (i.e., those…
Sixth Circuit Dissolves Stay of OSHA ETS, Permitting OSHA to Resume Implementation of ETS
On December 17, 2021, a divided three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit dissolved the stay of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (“OSHA”) COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing Emergency Temporary Standard (“ETS”) that had previously been issued by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. We summarized the…
Sixth Circuit Selected to Hear Consolidated Challenge to OSHA ETS, after the Fifth Circuit Issues a Stay
On November 5, 2021, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) published its much-anticipated COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing Emergency Temporary Standard (“ETS”) requiring, among other things, that most employees of companies with 100 or more employees submit to weekly COVID-19 testing and wear a face covering while at work indoors. We summarized the ETS in…
OSHA Issues Emergency Standards for COVID-19 Testing and Vaccination in the Workplace
On November 4, 2021, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (“OSHA”) issued its much-anticipated COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing Emergency Temporary Standard (“ETS”) imposing requirements pertaining to vaccinations, testing and face coverings on private employers throughout the country.
Which businesses does the ETS apply to? The ETS applies to employers with 100 or more employees, including…
Vaccine Mandates Loom Large
“Vaccinating the Unvaccinated” is central to the Biden Administration’s “Path Out of the Pandemic.” Federal agency workers and military personnel are required to be vaccinated; health care facilities that participate in Medicare or Medicaid must require vaccination for health care workers; certain federal government contractors must ensure that covered employees are vaccinated (see our prior…