News

Employment and labor disputes continue to rank among the most common and fastest-evolving areas of exposure for U.S. employers, even as overall litigation volumes fluctuate. Risk is not disappearing; it’s changing shape, and policies that once felt settled now require closer scrutiny and tighter execution.

The shift makes it more likely that changes championed by Chair Andrea Lucas will move forward faster than many expected, with less deliberation by other commissioners and agency staff.

But here’s a plan for making sure you have the labor you need, whether you’re a health-care facility, a nursing home, a high-tech enterprise or in the agriculture, hotel and hospitality sectors.

For many years, when DHS issued Employment Authorization Documents, many were valid for a five-year period. But effective Dec. 4, the valid period has changed to just 18 months.

Consider this scenario, another in a long line of examples showcasing why FMLA intermittent leave poses a major headache for employers but is a law with which they must comply.

Late last year, Congressional Democrats introduced the Fair Warning Act. If enacted, it would radically overhaul WARN, covering more employers and smaller layoffs.

An employee was injured on the job and must be out for surgery as a result of that injury. He is receiving the surgery and paid time off under our workers’ compensation policy. Can we run his FMLA leave concurrent with his workers’ comp leave and make him use his paid time off as part of his FMLA leave?

The legislature is considering amending the law to clarify that it doesn’t cover tuition reimbursement agreements for college or credentialing classes that the employee can use independently or with another employer.

Salary budgets may no longer be climbing, but they are far from operating on autopilot. New survey data shows employers entering 2026 with greater confidence in their pay planning, shifting away from reactive increases and toward more deliberate compensation strategies focused on performance, retention and internal equity.

It may be time for employers to do some contingency planning should civil unrest hit locally. Here’s what employers can do.