Employment Law

On April 26, 2021, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) officially sent to the White House a long awaited draft of their COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard (“ETS”). Once issued, OSHA’s ETS will be the most concrete guidance regarding COVID-19 received from OSHA to date. It will also provide OSHA the ability to issue citations to employers who fail to comply with the ETS’s requirements.

As sponsors of 401(k) and other retirement plans, employers typically rely on plan service providers (i.e. recordkeepers, trustees, etc.) to maintain plan accounts, keep participant accounts secure and participant data confidential. As fiduciaries, employers must act with the care and diligence under the circumstances as would a “prudent” person.

Kentucky-based Stites & Harbison PLLC has expanded its operations to Ohio for the first time in nearly 200 years with a new office in the Cincinnati suburb of Mason, the firm announced Friday. Led by member Robin D. Miller, the Cincinnati-area office is currently operating with the help of attorneys from the nearby town of Covington, Kentucky, but the firm said it hopes to hire more Cincinnati full-timers by the end of 2021.

CINCINNATI—Stites & Harbison, PLLC announced today it has opened a Cincinnati, Ohio office to better meet the increased needs of its clients in the region. The office will be led by Member (Partner), Robin D. Miller.

LOUISVILLE, Ky.—The Academy of Music Production Education and Development (AMPED) has named Stites & Harbison, PLLC attorney Calesia Henson to its Board of Directors. She will serve a three-year term.

Employment attorney Rebecca A. Weis, focused on COVID-19 vaccination policies in the workplace in this Stites & Harbison Webinar. Topics covered will included current vaccine administration priorities; what employers can or cannot mandate; employer-sponsored vaccine incentives; wage and hour issues; OSHA and workplace safety considerations; workers compensation implications; and more.

The Lane Report takes a closer look at the women who are making a difference in Kentucky. Stites Chair and Louisville attorney Marjorie Farris is featured today.

Please join Stites & Harbison attorney, Rebecca A. Weis, for a webinar focused on COVID-19 vaccination policies in the workplace.

On February 15, 2021, Stites & Harbison, PLLC issued a client alert regarding the status of the proposed $15 minimum wage increase to be included in the “American Rescue Plan” for COVID-19 relief, and discussed the role the parliamentarian would likely play. Thursday evening, February 25, 2021, the Senate parliamentarian ruled that the proposal was not appropriate for inclusion in the relief package using the budgetary reconciliation process.

Rebecca Weis sits down for a candid discussion with Kirt Jacobs.

I have more than one client who contacts me once every couple of weeks to ask, “where are we with the proposed federal $15 minimum wage?” And I think I can safely say that while in 2019, a majority of Americans surveyed were supportive of such an increase to the current $7.25 an hour, the political logistics of achieving this feat continue to be a challenge. Typically, the only thing I can tell clients is that there is a lot of discussion, but as of today it hasn’t yet happened, and it may not happen, but if it does you will be the first you know.

The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”), applicable to certain public employers and private employers with fewer than 500 employees, had two major provisions: the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act (“EPSLA”) and the Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act (“E-FMLA”).

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) recently posted an updated and expanded technical assistance publication that provides information to employers and employees about how COVID-19 vaccination interacts with various legal requirements. The publication addresses issues pertaining to medical pre-screening questions and employer accommodations for those unable to receive a vaccination.

LOUISVILLE, Ky.—The 2021 edition of Kentucky Super Lawyers recently honored 42 Stites & Harbison, PLLC attorneys in the Covington, Frankfort, Lexington and Louisville, Ky., offices.

NASHVILLE, Tenn.—The 2020 edition of Mid-South Super Lawyers recently honored 10 Stites & Harbison, PLLC attorneys.

The practice of law was already trending toward remote work when the coronavirus outbreak sent attorneys packing to their home offices in March, said Bob Connolly, chairman of Stites & Harbison PLLC in Louisville.