The Latest in Multi-Jurisdictional Compliance for Using E-Signatures

Electronic signatures or e-signatures are an increasingly essential tool in today’s technology-dependent workplace, especially for employers that are hiring remote workers. While state and federal law generally recognizes e-signatures to be as valid as traditional written or “wet” signatures, there are certain disclosures and processes that are required that may be challenging for employers.

Can Discharging Remote Workers Trigger the WARN Act at a ‘Single Site of Employment’?

To say that COVID-19 has presented numerous challenges to employers would certainly be an understatement. One of the changes and challenges that has entered the workforce is the proliferation of work-from-home arrangements. With remote workers, employers have had to alter the ways they recruit, pay, manage, and even discharge employees.

South Carolina Legislative Update: Bills to Watch

South Carolina is not known as a hotbed of legislative action protecting employee rights, let alone creating new ones. However, several bills are pending in the state legislature that, if passed, would impact South Carolina employers by instituting changes to employment applications, the minimum wage, and credit checks, as well as expanding protections against discrimination.

CFPB Issues New Background Check Summary of Rights Form With Imminent Effective Date

On September 12, 2018, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued an interim final rule updating its A Summary of Your Rights Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act form, (“Summary of Rights”) which is required to be given by employers to applicants and employees at various points in the background check process.

Ninth Circuit Breaks New Ground, Addresses Standing and Extraneous Content in Background Check Disclosure Forms/Screens

On January 20, 2017, the Ninth Circuit became the first court of appeals to weigh in on several important legal issues for expensive, increasingly common background check class actions—specifically (a) the extraneous content and language in an employer’s background check disclosure forms and online screens that violate the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), and (b) the standing requirements to file background check claims. In Syed v. M-I, LLC, the Ninth Circuit held that (1) inclusion of a liability release in an employment background check disclosure is a willful violation of the FCRA, subjecting an employer to expensive statutory and punitive damages, and (2) this kind of violation results in a concrete harm that satisfies Article III standing, as recently clarified by the Supreme Court of the United States in Spokeo, Inc. v. Robins.

Vermont Passes “Ban the Box” Legislation

On May 3, 2016, Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin signed into law a “ban the box” statute, which will take effect on July 1, 2017. The law will prohibit covered employers from inquiring about information pertaining to an individual’s criminal history record on an initial employment application. The law does, however, allow an employer to inquire about an applicant’s criminal history record (i) during a job interview or (ii) once the applicant has been deemed otherwise qualified for the position.

The Philadelphia Ban-the-Box Poster is Here: The Ins and Outs of the Posting Requirement

The Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations has released the poster employers are required to display under the new amendments to Philadelphia’s “ban the box” law, the Fair Criminal Records Screening Standards Act. The poster must be displayed as of Monday March 14, 2016, the date the new amendments take effect.

Consent Decree Sheds Light on the EEOC’s Interpretation of its Background Check Guidance

On September 8, 2015, BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) entered into a consent decree ending the EEOC’s disparate impact lawsuit over BMW’s use of criminal background checks in employment. The consent decree requires BMW to pay $1.6 million and provide job opportunities to claimant and other applicants who were turned away under BMW’s prior background check policy.

San Francisco Mayor Signs Ordinance to “Ban the Box” on Employment Applications

On February 14, 2014, San Francisco Mayor Edwin M. Lee signed San Francisco’s Fair Chance Ordinance, which “bans the box” on employment applications and restricts private employers’ ability to use criminal history information. Ordinance number 131192 will become effective on August 13, 2014. The ordinance also affects certain affordable housing providers.

San Francisco Passes Fair Chance Ordinance Restricting Employers’ Ability to Use Criminal History Information

San Francisco has “banned-the-box” on employment applications and has added other restrictions on private employers’ ability to obtain and use criminal history information. The City and County of San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed Ordinance number 131192 on February 11, 2014, and the mayor signed it on February 14, 2014……

New Ordinance Passed in Newark, New Jersey Regarding Criminal Background Check

The city of Newark, New Jersey recently passed an ordinance effective November 18, 2012, that will impact most employers in Newark. The new ordinance applies to employers with five or more employees that do business, employ, or take applications for employment within the city of Newark. The ordinance contains several requirements related to the application process, including requirements related to criminal background checks.