On April 15, 2026, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) targeted the widespread use of noncompete agreements by Rollins, Inc., the parent company of pest-control brands including Orkin, HomeTeam, and Critter Control. In a proposed consent order, the FTC required Rollins to stop enforcing non-compete restrictions for more than 18,000 employees ...
Artificial intelligence (“AI”) is no longer theoretical in employment decisions—it is actively shaping the hiring process in 2026. Recent estimates suggest that 99% of Fortune 500 companies now use AI to filter job applicants and roughly 40% of companies expect to use AI to conduct screening interviews of job candidates. That level of ...
Two class actions were filed in 2024 against Jeff Ruby Culinary (“JRC”) for violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (‘FLSA”). The classes were made up of over 700 former employees and the claims asserted that JRC had violated FLSA through illegal tipping practices. The cases were eventually consolidated in the Middle District of ...
Written by: Michelle D. Wyrick
In Brown-Forman Corp. v. NLRB, Nos. 24-2107/25-1060, the Sixth Circuit reviewed a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) order requiring Brown-Forman’s Woodford Reserve facility to bargain with the Teamsters Local 651 after the union lost a secret-ballot election. The NLRB upheld a finding that Brown-Forman ...
On March 19, 2026, the DOL launched a new website for its “Center for Faith.” Center for Faith | U.S. Department of Labor The DOL’s Center for Faith was created in response to a February 2025 Executive Order from President Trump that created a White House Faith Office and federal agency Centers for Faith. Establishment of The White House ...
Much to everyone’s excitement, spring is just around the corner! Conducting regular reviews of and updates to your company’s policies and employee handbook allow you to adjust the policies to work with your business rather than against it. As you transition between seasons and begin your spring cleaning, don’t forget to look through ...
On February 13, 2026, the U.S. Department of Labor published its Artificial Intelligence Literacy Framework, a memorandum designed to act as a resource for program design and to encourage expanded AI literacy training across the public workforce and education systems. The framework outlines five foundational content areas: understanding ...
On February 18, 2026, the EEOC filed a federal lawsuit against Coca-Cola Beverages Northeast, Inc. (“Coca-Cola”) alleging that it violated Title VII when it excluded male employees from an employer-sponsored event. Specifically, the EEOC alleged that Coca-Cola discriminated against male employees because only female employees were ...
Written by Mike N. Fine
On Tuesday, February 10, 2026, the House Committee on Ways and Means held a hearing entitled, “Foreign Influence in American Non-profits: Unmasking Threats from Beijing and Beyond.” The hearing focused on the potential misuse of domestic nonprofit organizations and related structures as vehicles for flowing ...
Recently the United States Department of Labor (“DOL”) issued a slew of Opinion Letters as 2026 gets underway. FMLA2026-2 is particularly topical as millions of Americans battle winter illnesses.
The DOL answers a simple question; “may protected leave under the Family Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”) be used for time spent traveling to ...