On March 18, 2022, the U.S. Department of Justice ("DOJ") published guidance on website accessibility specific to how state and local governments (Title II of the ADA) and "public accommodations" (Title III of the ADA) can remove unnecessary barriers that make it difficult or impossible for people with disabilities to use websites.
Equal employment laws (EEO) have protections against employer retaliation. Retaliation is an adverse employment action an employer takes against an employee who, for example, whistle blows against their employer, makes a claim of discrimination, or even participates in a wrongful employment action investigation against the employer.
In a recent survey by the AARP, nearly 80% of older employees say they’ve seen or experienced age discrimination in the workplace. The percentage of jobseekers in February above the age of 55 who were “long-term unemployed,” meaning they’d been looking for a job for 27 weeks or more, was more than 36%, compared to around 23% among those between the ages of 16 and 54.
Yesterday, March 8th, was International Women’s Day, a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The 2022 theme is #BreakTheBias.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) just released guidance to clarify under what circumstances COVID-19 may be considered a disability under the ADA and the Rehabilitation Act. This will likely become a more common issue in the workplace as COVID-19 continues to spread and have a lasting effect on some.
In June the Illinois legislature passed amendments to the Illinois Equal Pay Act reporting requirements, which unfortunately makes it more confusing for employers. This law is ever evolving and will likely evolve again.
As we wait for the OSHA guidance detailing how employers (over 100 in employment) can implement mandated vaccination for employees, employers need to keep in mind how they require vaccination and testing may impact proper pay for non-exempt employees.