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Ogletree Deakins OSHA Tracker City Feature: Southeastern Cities’ Inspections, Citations, and Penalties

Ogletree Deakins recently launched its OSHA Tracker, which compiles and filters inspection and citation data by Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) region, state, city, industry, and date. Employers in Region 4—covering Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee—may find the trends and, in some cases, surprises, among OSHA’s inspections, citations, and penalties data useful in planning and implementing their workplace safety programs.

David B. Walston Birmingham Author

Fourth Circuit Rules That Gender Dysphoria Is a Disability Under the ADA and the Rehabilitation Act

In a case of first impression, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit recently held in Williams v. Kincaid that individuals with gender dysphoria may be protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

Stacy M. Bunck Kansas City Author

Vanessa N. Garrido Raleigh Author

Employers Pressed Over Health Plan Coverage of Transgender Treatments for Minors

Employers are facing increasing—and conflicting—pressures over health plan coverage of puberty-blocking medications used to treat some minors for gender dysphoria.

Timothy J. Stanton Chicago Author

Hillary M. Sizer Chicago Author

Fourth Circuit Reinstates Employee’s Claim That Social Media App Messages Provided Sufficient Notice of a Medical Absence

On August 15, 2022, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit held in Roberts v. Gestamp West Virginia, LLC, that an employer’s “usual and customary” notice procedures relating to absences extended beyond the company’s written policies and potentially included social media messages between an employee and manager.

Maria Greco Danaher Pittsburgh Author

Bethany S. Wagner Pittsburgh Author

North Carolina Modifies Requirements Governing Pay Notice and Final Wages for Separated Employees

On July 8, 2021, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper signed Senate Bill (SB) 208, An Act Making Various Changes to the Labor Laws of North Carolina, which includes changes to the pay notice provisions for employees and payment of final wages to separated employees. The amendments to the North Carolina Wage and Hour Act (NCWHA) (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 95-25.1 et seq.) include changes to the employer-provided notice to employees concerning compensation at both the outset of employment and prior to any reduction in pay. S

Kevin S. Joyner Raleigh Author

Marijuana Laws Affecting the Workplace: Tools Employers Can Use to Stay Ahead During High Times

States have been busy when it comes to marijuana laws. Before the mid-2010s, employers tended not to worry about state marijuana laws because of marijuana’s illegal status under federal law. However, those days are over, and state marijuana legalization laws continue to affect how employers can run their workplaces.

M. Tae Phillips Birmingham Author

Time to Vote: Employee and Employer Voting Leave Rights and Obligations for the 2020 Elections

Elections in the United States are scheduled for Tuesday, November 3, 2020. Not only will the office of president of the United States be contested, but all 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and 35 of the 100 seats in the U.S. Senate are up for grabs. At the state level, elections will be held for the governorships of 11 U.S. states and 2 U.S. territories.

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