Human Resources and Employment Law

• Understanding Governor Whitmer’s Executive Order for Michigan

  March 23, 2020

  Today, Governor Whitmer issued Executive Order 2020-21, which takes effect tomorrow, March 24, 2020, at 12:01 a.m. The Executive Order, which is to be “construed broadly to prohibit in-person work that is not necessary to sustain or protect life,” mandates the following: All businesses must suspend operations if they require workers to leave their homes […]

• Workplace Issues Prompted By The COVID-19 Pandemic

  March 12, 2020

  The current coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has prompted extraordinary public and governmental response, and with it, many practical questions for employers.  We are not medical doctors, and there is an abundance of advice available on-line about common-sense measures employers and employees can and should take to reduce the chance of exposure.  We also know that the […]

• The New Salary Requirements: Understand the Options and Liability

  October 21, 2019

  Tips for Employees to Avoid Disaster As we reported in September, the Department of Labor has issued final rules increasing the minimum annual salary level paid to over-time exempt administrative, executive and professional employees from $23,660 to $35,568. In terms of weekly pay, the increase is from $455 per week to $684 per week. This […]

• DOL Announces Rule Increasing Minimum Salary Level

  September 25, 2019

  On September 24, 2019, the U.S Department of Labor (DOL) announced its final rule updating the minimum salary level required to be paid to employees classified as executive, administrative or professional employees. The rule updates the salary level of $23,660 that had been in effect since 2004 to a new level of $35,568 per year […]

• Michigan Employers Face Potential Return of Wage and Salary Increases

  March 11, 2019

  Two recent developments have resurrected wage and salary increases that Michigan employers thought were dead. These developments will force them to be cautious when determining the cost of labor for purposes of their operations and the cost at which they can sell their goods. News from Washington Regarding Potential Salary Increase While salaries paid to […]

• Preparing Your Workplace for Legalized Marijuana

  November 15, 2018

  Seeing through the Smoke: Preparing Your Workplace for Legalized Marijuana On November 6, 2018, Michigan became the tenth state in the nation and the first state in the Midwest to legalize the use of recreational marijuana. This approval has left employers across the state questioning what this means for their workplace. The new law called […]

• Should You Require Employees to Sign an Arbitration Agreement?

  June 26, 2018

  In May, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the right of employers to require and enforce pre-dispute class and collective action waivers as part of individual arbitration agreements.  Many employers have elected to require employees to agree at the time of hire or as a condition of continuing employment that any employment disputes be dealt with […]

• Michigan Legislature Repeals Prevailing Wage Act

  June 13, 2018

  On Wednesday, June 6, 2018, the Michigan Legislature repealed the State’s Prevailing Wage Act, which required the State to pay workers union-level wages under state construction contracts. The Legislature chose to repeal the Prevailing Wage Act after Michigan residents sponsored an initiative and amassed nearly 383,000 signatures, more than enough to place the measure on […]

• Employment Discrimination in Michigan

  May 24, 2018

  The Times, They Are a Changing… Or Are They? On Monday, May 21st, the Michigan Department of Civil Rights (the “Department”) announced that it is joining the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in interpreting sex discrimination to include sexual orientation and gender identity. While federal law has been interpreted this way for some time, Michigan […]

• Resetting the Table

  June 8, 2017

  The Removal of Uninvited Guests In October 2016, we informed you of two Obama-era Department of Labor Guidance Memos (2015 and 2016) which opened up many employers to a host of employment issues for individuals hired as independent contractors or under some degree of contractual control.  We suggested, only partially tongue-in-cheek, that employers should consider […]