Over the years, courts have articulated various standards and factors in determining which employees of religious institutions are exempt from employment discrimination laws, and this has led to much confusion and little consistency. This past week, the United States Supreme Court issued a decision that will impact and clarify the employment landscape for religious institutions […]

More than two months have passed since Governor Tom Wolf declared the closing of non-life-sustaining businesses. During these months of closure and stay-at-home, Governor Wolf introduced a phased reopening plan for Pennsylvania in which a three-phase approach (Red, Yellow and Green Phases) is used to determine when counties and/or regions are ready to begin opening […]

As the COVID-19 restrictions begin to relax and employees are permitted to return to the workplace, employers will likely have questions regarding the logistics for that return. The return to the workplace is not without complication. Some employees will be more than ready to return, while others will have many concerns about returning. The first […]

On Monday, May 4 at 11 am, FLB Employment Law & Labor Relations attorneys Jacob M. Sitman and Stephanie A. Koenig will be presenting “Back to Business: Employment Law Considerations Now and After the ‘Great Cessation’”, in conjunction with The Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce. Topics will include: Reviewing Return to Work Policies Rehiring […]

The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) requires employers with less than 500 employees to provide leave to employees due to certain COVID-19 qualifying reasons. The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) set April 1, 2020, as the effective date for employers to implement the FFCRA’s regulatory requirements, but deferred enforcement of the law 30 days […]

As employers continue to manage the impacts of COVID-19 on the workplace and the workforce, the U.S. Department of Labor, OSHA, and the Pennsylvania Department of Health have issued additional guidance. We continue to receive many questions on the practical implications of Agency guidance and new legislation. Below are additional Q&A’s that employers should consider, […]

Since Governor Tom Wolf ordered all non-life-sustaining businesses to close on March 19, 2020, businesses that have been permitted to keep their physical locations open have been searching for guidance from the government as to how to ensure the safety of their employees and customers during the COVID-19 pandemic. In response, on April 15, 2020, […]

The disruption to the economy caused by the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic has left many employers with difficult choices. Many businesses have been ordered to close, while others have seen a substantial decline in business. The results have included layoffs, furloughs and employee terminations. Congress has answered in several ways to help businesses and their employees. […]

(Updated March 28, 2020) On March 18, 2020, President Trump signed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) into law. We understand employers are trying to stay abreast of the changing legal landscape in the face of COVID-19 (Coronavirus) and have many questions regarding what this new federal law means for their workforce. Below we […]

Following an extensive discovery process and a multi-day arbitration hearing, Fitzpatrick Lentz & Bubba won dismissal of a wrongful and retaliatory discharge claim by the former controller of our client, a Pennsylvania-based startup company. The former employee claimed that the company fired her in retaliation for objecting to the company’s alleged fraudulent submissions to a […]