The Stoel Rives Labor & Employment Law Blog
As Congress approaches a funding lapse resulting in a government shutdown, California employers should prepare for several indirect effects on workplace operations. Although a federal shutdown does not halt California’s employment laws, it does pause many federal agency functions, as discussed below.
Federal Enforcement Agencies
Most federal labor agencies will furlough staff and suspend routine…
Last week, U.S. Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer issued Order 08-2025 and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) issued a Bulletin explaining the Secretary’s Order. Importantly for federal contractors, “OFCCP will be exercising its discretion to administratively close all pending compliance reviews and will take no further action related to the scheduling list…
Washington’s legislature has approved two bills poised to significantly reshape employer obligations around layoffs and job postings. Though not yet signed into law, both bills—if enacted—will require prompt action and policy updates from employers operating in the state.
Mini-WARN Act: More Notice, Broader Reach
Senate Bill 5525, modeled on the federal WARN Act, ups the…
Edited May 20, 2025
Last month, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) submitted a proposed 2024 EEO-1 instruction booklet to the Office of Management and Budget. If the proposal is approved, the EEO-1 reporting period will begin on May 20, 2025 and run through June 24, 2025. As employers prepare to file their 2024 EEO-1…
On Friday, March 14, 2025, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals lifted a preliminary injunction on President Trump’s Executive Orders regarding DEI. In concurring opinions, the judges expressed varying levels of support for employers’ DEI initiatives. However, the appellate panel agreed that the district court’s pre-implementation preliminary injunction was premature, and the Fourth Circuit stayed…
On his second day in office, January 21, 2025, President Trump issued an Executive Order “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity.” This Executive Order reverses roughly 60 years of federal policy and leaves many employers with questions about the future of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies and affirmative action programs (AAPs). Federal contractors…
On January 21, 2025, the White House announced an Executive Order entitled “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity.” The Order instructs federal agencies to take administrative and legal action against diversity, equity, and inclusion (“DEI”) programs, which it defines as systems of race- and sex-based preferences. The Order is directed at both public- and…
On Tuesday, August 20, a federal judge in Texas shot down the Federal Trade Commission’s rule banning noncompete agreements (“the Rule”) that was set to take effect September 4. This means that the FTC cannot enforce the Rule. As a result, enforceable non-competes currently in place remain enforceable, and businesses and workers are free to…
As we previously advised, under Oregon Senate Bill 1515 (“SB 1515”) effective July 1, 2024, most of the Oregon Family Leave Act (“OFLA”)—including leave for the employee’s or a family member’s serious health condition—will sunset. (Pregnancy disability, sick child, and bereavement leave remain available under OFLA.) Employees may instead look to other applicable leave…
On January 18, 2024, the California Supreme Court issued its long-awaited opinion in Estrada v. Royalty Carpet Mills to decide the question of whether California trial courts have inherent authority to strike claims brought under California’s Private Attorneys General Act (“PAGA”) on the grounds that the claims were not manageable. The Court ultimately upheld the appellate court’s holding, which we previously discussed in detail here, finding that trial courts do not have such inherent authority.Continue Reading California Supreme Court Sweeps PAGA Manageability Under the Rug in Estrada v. Royalty Carpet Mills
