The Biden administration threatened Tuesday to revoke the authority for three Republican-controlled states to handle their own workplace safety enforcement because they have refused to adopt rules to protect health care workers from COVID-19. The threats were sent to Arizona, South Carolina and Utah as the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration prepares to adopt… Continue reading Labor Department Warns Three GOP States Over COVID Rules
Tag: DOL
DOL Releases Pared-Down Workplace COVID Safety Rule
The Labor Department released a workplace safety standard for risks posed by the coronavirus on Thursday after more than a year of debate, ending months of speculation about the administration’s plans after it missed a self-imposed March deadline. The emergency temporary standard (ETS), as it was called, will apply only to health-care facilities a much… Continue reading DOL Releases Pared-Down Workplace COVID Safety Rule
Labor Dept. Moves to Rescind Two Trump-era Rules on Worker Classification
The Biden administration on Thursday announced it is working to rescind two Trump-era rules it says weakened worker protections. In the latest move by the administration of President Joe Biden to roll back the policies of his predecessor, the Labor Department said in a statement it has proposed to withdraw two rules that concern the… Continue reading Labor Dept. Moves to Rescind Two Trump-era Rules on Worker Classification
DOL Holds Off Enforcement of ESG Rule for 401(k)s
The U.S. Department of Labor said Wednesday it won’t be enforcing a Trump-era rule that makes it tougher for 401(k) plans to invest in socially minded funds. The agency is reviewing a rule finalized in the fall that prevented corporate 401(k) plans from using funds with nonfinancial goals as default investments for employees. This rule… Continue reading DOL Holds Off Enforcement of ESG Rule for 401(k)s
DOL Could Make it Easier to Treat Workers as Independent Contractors
The U.S. Department of Labor on Tuesday said it would soon propose a rule that could make it easier to classify workers as independent contractors rather than employees, a major issue for the “gig economy” and other industries that use contractors to contain costs. During a phone call with reporters, senior department officials said the… Continue reading DOL Could Make it Easier to Treat Workers as Independent Contractors
Labor Department Makes Public 401(k) Rule Change
The Labor Department released a final rule to make it easier for small businesses to band together to create joint 401(k) retirement plans for workers. The rule, which takes effect Sept. 30, broadens the ways companies could join together to offer retirement accounts, according to a department official. Under the rule released Monday, companies in… Continue reading Labor Department Makes Public 401(k) Rule Change
Department of Labor Issues Proposal on Overtime Pay
The U.S. Department of Labor issued a long-awaited proposal on Thursday to extend mandatory overtime pay to a million more workers, far fewer than an Obama administration rule that was struck down by a federal judge. Currently, salaried workers are automatically entitled to overtime pay only if they earn less than $23,660 a year, a… Continue reading Department of Labor Issues Proposal on Overtime Pay