Recruiting, Hiring, and Retention

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Employers of drivers who hold commercial driver’s licenses (CDL) have been subject to U.S. Department of Transportation drug and alcohol testing requirements for over twenty-five years. These regulations, enforced by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), require that any driver who fails (or refuses to take) a mandated drug or alcohol test must be…

The Fair Credit Reporting Act (“FCRA”) has been a fertile area for lawsuits against employers.  Recently, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals provided yet another warning for employers regarding compliance with the FCRA.  In Long v. SEPTA, the court held that an employer violates the FCRA when it fails to provide a copy of…

Every year, Pennsylvania’s appellate courts seem to issue a handful of decisions addressing the enforceability of non-compete agreements. However, there are relatively few court decisions addressing non-solicitation agreements. A non-solicitation agreement is the less restrictive cousin of the non-compete. Under a non-solicitation agreement, a former employee is permitted to work anywhere, including competitors of his…

The Philadelphia City Council recently passed Bill No. 160840, a wage equity ordinance (the “Ordinance”), that will amend Philadelphia’s Fair Practices Ordinance to prohibit employers or employment agencies from inquiring about the wage history of potential employees.  Among other things, the Ordinance also includes an anti-retaliation provision, which prohibits any form of retaliation against…

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (UCIS) has released a revised version of the I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification Form.  The revised form must be used exclusively beginning on January 22, 2017; until then, employers may use either the new version or the old version (which is dated 3/8/2013).  Most of the revisions to the I-9 operate…

On September 9, 2016, the Pennsylvania Superior Court upheld an award of $4.5 million in punitive damages against several former employees, who violated non-compete/non-solicitation agreements with their former employers.  In B.G. Balmer & Co. Inc. v. Frank Crystal & Co., Inc., et al., the court determined that among other things, the former employees’ used…

There has been a lot of buzz recently about “ban the box” initiatives prohibiting employers from asking job applicants about their criminal records.  Proponents of these initiatives argue that employers should not consider an applicant’s old or minor criminal record to deny job opportunities.  On February 16, 2016, Pennsylvania took a different approach to this…

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court recently re-affirmed the principle that in order to have an enforceable non-compete agreement in Pennsylvania, the agreement must be supported by adequate consideration and that a statement merely agreeing to be “legally bound” doesn’t meet that requirement. The Court ruled against a waterproofing company hoping to enforce a non-compete agreement against…