Today Governor Whitmer signed legislation repealing Michigan’s 2012 “Right to Work” law. As a result, private sector employers and unions in the state will be permitted to negotiate collective bargaining agreements with union security clauses that require workers to pay union dues as a condition of employment. The new law will go into effect in April 2024.
On March 16, 2023, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed into law Senate Bill 4, which amends the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act (ELCRA) to include “sexual orientation” and “gender expression” as protected categories.
On January 30, 2023, the Biden Administration announced its intent to end the national emergency and public health emergency declarations related to the COVID-19 pandemic on May 11, 2023. This client alert summarizes the implications on employer-sponsored group health plans created by the end of these declarations.
The USPTO just announced a new version of the Manual of Patent Examining Procedure (MPEP). The last release was in 2020. The MPEP is binding on the more than 8,000 patent examiners at the USPTO so all US patent practitioners need to be familiar with it.
On January 30, 2023, the U.S. Departments of Health & Human Services, Labor, and Treasury (the Departments) issued proposed rules to expand access to no cost contraceptive services. Specifically, the Departments proposed removing the moral exemption to providing contraceptive coverage under an employer’s group health plan.
Applicable Large Employers (ALEs)—which generally include employers with an average of at least 50 full-time employees, including full-time equivalent employees—are intimately familiar with the Form 1094-C and Form 1095-C filing requirements. And while we suspect that most ALEs electronically file their Forms 1095-C, ALEs that were required to file less than 250 Forms 1095-C were permitted to file those forms with the IRS on paper. The IRS issued a final rule on February 23, 2023 that will effectively eliminate the paper filing option for 2023 Forms 1095-C that must be filed during the first quarter of calendar year 2024.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced the initial registration period for fiscal year 2024 H-1B cap-subject petitions. Registration opens at 12:00 p.m. EST on March 1, 2023 and runs through 12:00 p.m. EDT on March 17, 2023. During this period, employers can complete and submit their registrations using the electronic H-1B registration system.
Earlier this week, the National Labor Relations Board issued its decision in McLaren Macomb, 372 NLRB No. 58, holding that employers violate federal labor law when they offer severance agreements with terms, such as broad confidentiality or non-disparagement terms, which have a reasonable tendency to interfere with, restrain, or coerce employees in the exercise of their statutory rights under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA).
Since its 2008 enactment, the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, or “BIPA,” has required employers with employees in Illinois to carefully handle employee biometric information. BIPA violations create significant liability for the unwary or unsavory employer. To top it off, last week, an Illinois Supreme Court decision exponentially expanded the potential damages that Illinois employers may face. In some cases, the money damages could make your jaw drop.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) announced the initial registration period for fiscal year 2024 H-1B cap-subject petitions. Registration opens at 12:00 p.m. EST on March 1, 2023 and runs through 12:00 p.m. EST on March 17, 2023. During this period, employers can complete and submit their registrations using the electronic H-1B registration system.
Please be advised that contacting Miller Johnson or one of its attorneys by email does not constitute establishing an attorney-client relationship or otherwise confidential relationship between you and the Firm. Please do not give us any information you regard as confidential until a formal attorney-client relationship has been established. Any information you give to us before establishing an attorney-client relationship will not be regarded as privileged or confidential. Do you wish to proceed?
To receive firm communications, please select from the list of topics, complete your contact information, and Sign Up below.
