Labor & Employment Spring Update (Video)

The U.S. Department of the Treasury and IRS recently issued temporary regulations that provide an immediately effective framework for establishing and administering “Trump Accounts,” including broad automatic enrollment and large-scale contributions funded by governmental and charitable donors. The regulations became effective September 30, 2026, apply to taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2026, and expire September 30, 2029.

Donald Dowling says abusive labor practices are a huge problem around the world, and often the smaller local manufacturers, miners and growers within countries that are committing labor...

In the intricate landscape of employment law, wrongful termination poses a significant challenge for employees who find themselves at the unfortunate intersection of job loss and potential injustice.

Sexual harassment can present in various forms, but according to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the two most common forms of workplace sexual harassment...

On Aug. 30, AB-1883 received final legislative approval and now heads to California Governor Gavin Newsom for signature or veto. If enacted, AB-1883 would prohibit employers from using workplace surveillance tools that rely on artificial intelligence (AI) to recognize, infer, or predict an employee’s emotional state, or to collect “neural data.”

On June 22, 2026, in Mobley v. Workday, Inc., U.S. District Judge Rita Lin largely denied Workday’s motion to dismiss the plaintiffs’ Third Amended Complaint, including rejecting the company’s argument that California’s anti-discrimination laws do not apply to its screening of applicants outside California who are applying for jobs in other states or countries.

Federal overtime exemption rules have shifted back to 2019 standards following court challenges to the Department of Labor's 2024 salary threshold increases. Understanding how these revised requirements affect executive, administrative, professional, and highly compensated employee classifications is critical for maintaining wage-hour compliance.

The first half of 2026 has seen major litigation developments in cases concerning the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), including decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court and the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Fourth, Fifth, Ninth, Eleventh, and D.C. Circuits.

As artificial intelligence races forward, California employment law sprints alongside. Two new employment-related AI bills have been signed into law imposing new requirements...

Massachusetts has taken a significant step toward pay equity and workplace fairness with the passage of its Wage Transparency Act (the "Act" or formally, An Act Relative to Salary Range Transparency).

Over the past year, industry has had a front row seat as the Food and Drug Administration (“FDA” or the “Agency”) decides just how much leeway it wants to afford the manufacture, marketing, and sale of peptide products, and just where it wants to draw the line. Despite the recent decision of FDA’s Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee (“PCAC”) to recommend a number of peptides for inclusion on the 503A bulks list process — a move that represents a potentially more permissive stance toward peptide regulation, at least in terms of what can and cannot be compounded under 503A...

There was a significant ruling in the Doe v. Github case involving training of AI code generator models on open source. The United States Court of Appeals for The Ninth Circuit affirmed the district court ruling dismissing part of an action brought under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (“DMCA”) by programmers against GitHub, Inc., and other defendants. The issues centered on whether defendants removed copyright management information (CMI) from content used to train the AI code generator models.

The renewable energy industry is facing another significant tariff development. On August 6, 2026, a Presidential Proclamation confirmed that the government’s Section 232 investigation...

Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey has issued Executive Order 658, establishing comprehensive permitting and regulatory standards for data centers exceeding 25 MW of peak electricity demand. The Order mandates community benefits agreements, clean energy procurement protocols, and coordination across multiple state agencies to ensure responsible development that protects ratepayers, communities, and the environment. This action positions Massachusetts alongside other states implementing stricter oversight o

On August 26, 2026, NLRB General Counsel Crystal S. Carey issued Memorandum GC 26-04, “Further Guidance Regarding General Counsel Priorities.” The memo is her second in as many months and reads like a punch list for reversing the Board’s Biden-era precedent. For employers, the headline is simple: nothing has changed yet, but a lot may be about to.

On September 16, 2026, Governor Gavin Newsom ceremoniously signed SB 1050 at SAG-AFTRA’s headquarters in Los Angeles, adding a new article to California’s Business and Professions Code that targets the use of AI-generated “synthetic performers” in advertising.

California will have a range of new laws going into effect aimed at protecting children from online features. Governor Gavin Newsom signed five bills (AB 1709, AB 2246, AB 1856, SB 1119, and SB 867) into law on September 10, 2026.

A publicly traded fintech company has announced a $590 million acquisition of its longtime national bank partner, marking a strategic shift from the traditional bank-partnership model to direct ownership of a national bank charter. The transaction, expected to close in the first half of 2027 pending regulatory approvals, would make the fintech a bank holding company while consolidating its banking activities and eliminating certain sponsor-bank fees. This deal represents a faster alternative to pursuing a d

With the affirmative vote in the House today, both Houses of Congress have now passed a final version of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, clearing the legislation for President Trump's signature.

On August 18, the U.S. Department of the Treasury published a notice of proposed rulemaking to implement Section 3 of the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins Act (GENIUS Act). The proposal would establish rules governing who may issue payment stablecoins in the United States and when digital asset service providers may offer, sell, or otherwise make payment stablecoins available to U.S. persons. Comments are due October 19, 2026.