Achieving Civility in the Workplace
Written by Gerd W. Stabbert, Jr. & Kaylee Ivy, Arizona Attorney, Focus on Employment Law – January 2025 “So let us begin anew, remembering on both sides that civility is not a sign of weakness, and sincerity is always subject to proof. Let us never negotiate out of fear, but let us never fear to negotiate. […]
RL&L Alert: FTC is sued over its Final Rule banning most employment non-compete agreements. What’s the bottom line?
By now you have read that the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced its Final Rule (Rule) banning most employment non-compete agreements with limited exceptions. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and others have since sued the FTC arguing that it is not empowered to police such contracts. The Rule would have been effective in late […]
Legal Alert – An Employer’s Toolkit for Legal Compliance: Part 1 – Handbooks
Employee handbooks provide a detailed summary of the employer’s workplace policies, procedures, and human resources objectives. They are frequently a new employee’s first introduction to the organization’s values, culture, expectations, and objectives. Up-to-date employee handbooks are also an essential piece to an employer’s toolkit for complying with federal, state, and local labor and employment laws. […]
RL&L’s Lead Employment Partner Charitie Hartsig to Speak at the 2022 AZSHRM State Conference
With 15 years of legal experience spent focused primarily on employment law and business issues, Charitie has seen it all. As a Breakout Speaker at this year’s AZSHRM State Conference, Charitie will present Annual Internal HR Legal Compliance Audits: Do’s & Don’ts and Considerations. She will be discussing the most common issues that arise in […]
Legal Alert: Family First Coronavirus Response Act expired on 12/31/20 but many employees may still qualify for federal paid sick time.
The new $900 billion coronavirus pandemic relief package signed by the President on December 27, 2020 did not extend the mandatory paid leave provisions of the Family First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), which expired on December 31, 2020. However, the law does extend payroll tax credits to employers that voluntarily grant paid FFCRA leave to […]
Legal Alert: EEOC provides guidance on mandatory Covid-19 vaccinations in the workplace
Last week, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued guidance that may prove useful as the COVID-19 vaccines are distributed across the United States and become available to the public. The guidance suggests that employers will generally be able to require their employees to get vaccinated against Covid-19 prior to re-entering the workplace whether administered by […]
Employment Law Blog – Are Your Workers Independent Contractors or Employees?
Are Your Workers Independent Contractors or Employees? Whether companies treat workers as employees or independent contractors will have an impact on (1) the workers’ pay and benefits; (2) the employer’s costs; and (3) state and federal revenues in terms of what taxes are collected. For employees in Arizona, employers must withhold state and federal income […]
Employment Law Blog – Are You Utilizing a Declaration of Independent Business Status (DIBS) for Independent Contractors?
Are You Utilizing a Declaration of Independent Business Status (DIBS) for Independent Contractors? Arizona businesses can request a DIBS declaration from independent contractors in accordance with A.R.S. § 23-1601. If the employer complies with all the provisions of the statute, it creates a rebuttable presumption that the worker is in fact an independent contractor and […]
Paid Leave Under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act
RL&L’s Kate Frenzinger addressed some of the most commonly asked questions this morning in a webinar regarding paid leave under the FFCRA and discussed how employers could protect themselves and support their employees during this time of uncertainty. The Families First Coronavirus Response Act is one of several laws recently enacted to provide relief to […]
Business Closures – What Does This Mean For Affected Employers?
On March 11, 2020, Arizona Governor Doug Ducey declared a public health emergency due to the coronavirus outbreak. On Tuesday, March 17, the mayors of Tucson and Phoenix declared public health emergencies and ordered or requested the temporary closing of certain businesses or suspension of certain services to prevent the spread of the virus. […]
President Trump Signs The Families First Coronavirus Response Act Into Law
On Wednesday, March 18, 2020 the U.S. Senate passed the House’s Families First Coronavirus Response Act by a vote of 90-8 (Arizona Senators McSally and Sinema voted in favor of the bill). President Trump signed the bill into law late Wednesday night. The new law comes into effect on April 2, 2020. The Coronavirus Response […]
What Businesses Need to Know About Arizona’s New Data Breach Law
In August of 2018, Arizona’s strong new data protection law went into effect. Authored by Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich, A.R.S. § 18-551 et seq. imposes strict reporting requirements and imposes tough penalties on businesses that fail to protect their Arizona customers’ personal information. Data breaches exposing the personal information of Arizona residents have been […]
Happy Birthday Arizona’s Paid Sick Time!
Arizona’s paid sick time requirement became effective on July 1, 2017. Now, one year later, we look at how the new law—and Arizona employers—are faring. Arizona Fair Wages and Healthy Families Act First, a quick primer on the paid sick time requirement. In November 2016, Arizona voters approved Proposition 206, The Arizona Fair Wages and […]
Paid Sick Time: Arizona’s Draft Regulations Leave Employers Feeling Queasy
This is a continuation of my series regarding problems and issues relating to Arizona’s new Paid Sick Time requirements. Here is the link to my first article discussing how the law’s anti-retaliation provisions effectively alter at-will employment in Arizona. Here is the link to my second article discussing why employers should be hesitant to try and satisfy their […]
Paid Sick Time: Employers Should Think Twice Before Trying to Satisfy PST Through PTO/Vacation Policies
This is a continuation of my series regarding problems and issues relating to Arizona’s new Paid Sick Time requirements. Here is the link to my prior article discussing how the law’s anti-retaliation provisions effectively alter at-will employment in Arizona. Arizona’s new Paid Sick Time (“PST”) requirements go into effect on July 1, 2017. They require […]
Paid Sick Time: A Sea Change In At-Will Employment?
By now, most Arizona employers are aware they must grant Paid Sick Time (“PST”) to employees starting on July 1st. Many employers are also aware of at least some the problems and ambiguities contained in the new PST statutes. (My upcoming posts will address those). But most employers don’t yet realize that the retaliation provisions […]