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In a long-awaited development, this week the Department of Labor has issued a final rule updating the salary threshold for the white-collar exemptions for executive, administrative, and professional employees.  The Department expects the change to affect about 1.3 million workers, who will be reclassified as non-exempt or receive salary increases up to the new threshold, and to result in additional pay of $298.8 million a year. The salary an exempt white-collar employee must be paid to qualify for the exemption…

Eugene Scalia was yesterday confirmed to be the new Secretary of Labor by a 53-44 vote.  He is a son of late Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia, but in his own right he practiced labor law for years with a large firm and participated in many high-profile cases.  He replaces the acting secretary of labor, Patrick Pizzella, who in turn replaced Secretary of Labor Alex Acosta. With Eugene Scalia’s background as a prominent labor lawyer, look for an interesting ride…

On September 5th, the City of San Antonio’s Paid Sick Leave Commission approved the draft of a revised ordinance for the City Council to consider.   The revised ordinance is set to be voted on by the City Council on October 3rd and to go into effect on December 1st, with enforcement is to start April 1, 2020. The revised ordinance is designed in part to meet objections to the original ordinance raised in a lawsuit filed by business groups in…

In August, the Business Roundtable issued a “Statement on the Purpose of a Corporation,” which lauded the free-market system and stated that Americans “deserve an economy that allows each person to succeed through hard work and creativity and to lead a life of meaning and dignity.”  The statement went on to talk about the vital roles played by businesses in the economy. In the heart of the statement, it states that “While each of our individual companies serves its own…

In August, the U.S. Court of Appeals in New Orleans granted an order enjoining the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission from treating its guidance on the use of criminal records as binding.  The State of Texas had sued the EEOC over the guidance, claiming that the guidance was substantive rule and that the EEOC did not have the authority to issue substantive rules.  Texas sought a declaratory judgment as well as the injunction. The EEOC issued the guidance in 2012…