Firefighters’ vaccine exemption lawsuit fails SCOTUS’ updated religious test, court says

The lawsuit is a test of the high court’s Groff v. DeJoy precedent, which clarified the standard by which religious accommodations must be evaluated.

By Ryan Golden • Sept. 5, 2025

Former EEOC employee files charge alleging transgender bias at the agency

The employee said he was allegedly forced to “create business processes and technical tools that were being weaponized to facilitate discrimination against transgender employees” like himself.

By Ginger Christ • Sept. 5, 2025

This week in 5 numbers: Workers aren’t surprised by executives’ affairs

Here’s a roundup of numbers from the last week of HR news — including how many HR professionals expect to see their department head count grow or remain the same.

By Ginger Christ • Sept. 4, 2025

DOL says it’s thinking about overtime as it provides timelines for regulations

The agency published its full Spring 2025 regulatory agenda Thursday, nearly a month after apparently removing an earlier version from a White House website.

By Ryan Golden • Sept. 4, 2025

Judge expands pregnancy law exceptions for Catholic bishop group

The group cannot be required “to make accommodations for abortions, contraception, sterilization, artificial reproductive technologies, or surrogacy” in violation of their religious beliefs, the court said. 

By Emilie Shumway • Sept. 4, 2025

Colorado delays AI law implementation amid backlash

The move comes amid a growing national debate over AI laws that are piling up at the state level, creating a complex patchwork of requirements for businesses.

By Alexei Alexis • Sept. 3, 2025

Manager’s ‘single ethnic slur’ not enough to grant worker win in bias case

The case involves a legal doctrine — cat’s paw theory — invoked by federal courts in numerous employment discrimination challenges.

By Ryan Golden • Sept. 3, 2025

Jury finds in favor of Chicago transit worker denied COVID-19 vaccine exemption

The case is similar to that of another Catholic worker who cited the vaccine’s use of aborted fetal cells in her request for a religious exemption.

By Emilie Shumway • Sept. 2, 2025

Auto dealership will pay $275,000 to settle claims it segregated roles by sex

The car dealership segregated talent by sex and cited stereotypes as their reasoning, EEOC said in a lawsuit.

By Caroline Colvin • Sept. 2, 2025

Workplaces can foster empathy to improve harassment intervention, study says

Women tended to report higher empathy toward workplace sexual harassment targets, which made them less likely to ignore complaints, researchers said.

By Carolyn Crist • Sept. 2, 2025

Judge allows Workday to avoid disclosing full customer list in bias lawsuit

The company said the plaintiffs’ proposal that individuals opting into the collective action be able to select employers from such a list would cause unfair prejudice.

By Ryan Golden • Aug. 28, 2025

5 FMLA headlines to help HR catch up on compliance

Family and Medical Leave Act administration can easily fall by the wayside, despite its status as a bedrock federal employment law under HR’s purview.

By Ryan Golden • Aug. 28, 2025

Tire company asks judge to toss EEOC lawsuit over agency’s lack of quorum

The agency must have a quorum to file lawsuits when cases involve “an allegation of systemic discrimination or a pattern or practice of discrimination,” Carlstar Group argued.

By Emilie Shumway • Aug. 27, 2025

Uber Eats settles Seattle labor claims for $15M

The delivery aggregator denied allegations by city authorities that it misled workers about potential earnings and paid them less than required.

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • Updated Aug. 27, 2025

USPS worker’s intermittent FMLA certification didn’t place a hard cap on unforeseen leave, 6th Circuit says

A physician advised USPS that the plaintiff’s symptoms flared up twice per month, but the court held that this note alone did not create an exact limit.

By Ryan Golden • Aug. 25, 2025

Kwik Trip pays $35K in EEOC settlement

The Midwestern convenience retailer was accused of not providing reasonable accommodations for an employee with a medical restriction.

By Jessica Loder • Aug. 25, 2025

Smithfield Meats said it doesn’t provide pregnancy-related accommodations, EEOC alleges

The company allegedly fired a laborer after she asked to be relieved from lifting due to pregnancy-related bleeding, according to an EEOC lawsuit.

By Laurel Kalser • Aug. 25, 2025

De-risking your workforce in an uncertain labor market

Why payroll and compliance are becoming the most important retention tools.

By William Smith • Aug. 25, 2025

Collection, not public disclosure, may doom Illinois demographic data law

Anti-DEI collective American Alliance for Equal Rights alleged that SB2930 violates the First and 14th Amendments.

By Caroline Colvin • Aug. 22, 2025

EEOC seeks to enforce subpoenas against school district that sued agency over bias probe

The news comes just weeks after New Mexico’s Gallup-McKinley County Schools sued the commission, alleging that its investigation exceeded EEOC’s authority.

By Ryan Golden • Aug. 22, 2025

Gay ex-employee for NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks claims bias motivated his firing

The plaintiff, a public relations staffer, alleged the team reprimanded him for participating in an interview in which he discussed his sexual orientation.

By Ryan Golden • Aug. 20, 2025

Luxury Santa Monica hotel accused of not paying workers minimum wage

A class-action lawsuit claims Santa Monica Proper did not follow wage requirements set forth in the California city’s hotel worker wage ordinance.

By Noelle Mateer • Aug. 20, 2025

Immigration policy changes squeeze an already understaffed long-term care industry

The senior care industry can’t afford to lose potential workers, experts said.

By Ginger Christ • Aug. 20, 2025

Pregnant Workers Fairness Act must be enforced in Texas after all, 5th Circuit says

However, a district judge’s May decision to vacate EEOC’s interpretation of the law that protects elective abortions still stands.

By Emilie Shumway • Aug. 19, 2025

Worker with torn ligament can bring ADA case against Walmart, court says

The short opinion by an Illinois district court judge offers a few lessons for employers in how to approach ADA requests.

By Emilie Shumway • Updated Aug. 21, 2025