Articles by Girish Anand

March 22, 2018

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Obamacare Subsidies, Tip-Pooling Wage Theft Out in Federal Budget Deal

BREAKING: The Senate approved the House version in the wee hours of Friday, March 23, and President Trump signed the measure the next day, averting a government shutdown. The bill funding the federal government through September still faces a stiff deadline of Friday at midnight ET, but at least the details are now becoming clear: The measure excludes any cost sharing reduction (CSR) funds f...

March 21, 2018

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HHS to Monitor Controlled Substance Prescriptions as Part of Opioid Abuse Program

As part of President Trump's Initiative to Stop Opioid Abuse and Reduce Drug Supply and Demand announced March 19, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will spend $10 billion to help states monitor opioid prescriptions electronically. [caption id="attachment_9038" align="alignright" width="200"] Coders at work for HHS opioid app project.[/caption] Part of the proposal would “...

Chipotle Workers Challenge Overtime Rule Injunction -- and Now Must Pay

March 21, 2018

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A group of Chipotle workers in New Jersey filed suit to be paid under the Obama overtime rule that raised the exemption threshold to $47,476 a year, and U.S. District Judge Amos Mazzant -- who issued a permanent injunction against the rule -- wasn't too pleased. He ordered them to go back to work and pay Chipotle for the company's legal fees in the case. A little background: Judge Mazzant fi...

March 21, 2018

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DOL Launches Pilot Program to Help Fight Opioid Crisis

Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta has announced a new National Health Emergency Dislocated Worker Demonstration Grant pilot program to help communities fight the opioid crisis. The Department of Labor (DOL) will initially fund seven to ten pilot programs with awards totaling $21 million. Secretary Acosta made the announcement during a visit to the Maryhaven Stabilization Center in Columbus, O...

New EEOC General Counsel Nominated While Nomination for Chair Still Awaits Senate Action

March 20, 2018

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President Trump's nomination for chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Janet Dhillon, is still awaiting Senate action five months after being announced. Now into the mix comes the administration's nomination for general counsel, Sharon Fast Gustafson. The general counsel has broad power to decide which legal cases the commission will pursue. ...

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McDonald's Joint Employer Lawsuit Set to Resume

March 19, 2018

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BREAKING NEWS: A settlement has been reached with McDonald's stipulating as part of the agreement that it is not a joint employer. An administrative law judge (ALJ) must now approve the deal, which lawyers for the plaintiffs vow to fight. In a case that could have wide-ranging implications for America's largest franchisers, McDonald's Corp. is set to go back to court over allegations of work...

OSHA Electronic Injury-Illness Reporting Off to a Rocky Start

March 19, 2018

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The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was expecting some 350,000 electronic filings of injury and illness reports (Form 300A) by the Dec. 31, 2017, much-delayed deadline, but instead received only 153,653 filings, according to a report by Bloomberg. On top of that, 60,992 firms that didn't need to file did so anyway. ...

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Driven by Drug Costs, Health Care Spending Ratchets Up

March 19, 2018

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The price of health care in the United States shot up 2.2 percent in February compared to 1.6 percent overall annual growth in 2016 and 2017, according to statistics gathered and released by health care consultancy Altarum. The lowest annual growth rate -- 1.1 percent -- came in 2015. At the same same, hospital prices rose 3.8 percent, leading Altarum to note: We are puzzling over this sign...

March 19, 2018

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Mandatory Retirement Age a No-No Under the ADEA

A Southfield, Mich.-based oral surgery practice will pay $47,000 to settle an age discrimination lawsuit filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced recently. The EEOC’s lawsuit charged that Professional Endodontics, P.C. violated federal law by firing Karen Ruerat four days after her 65th birthday. According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, Ruerat, who ha...

Circuit Courts Split on Validity of DOL Fiduciary Rule

March 16, 2018

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The Obama-era Fiduciary Rule, requiring retirement investment advisers to place their clients' interests first, underwent a mixed week of results in U.S. circuit courts of appeals. A few days ago, the 10th Circuit Court affirmed the rule, and yesterday the 5th Circuit deemed it "arbitrary and capricious" and vacated the rule in toto. The 5th Circuit's opinion was a divided one, and the agenc...

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Girish Anand

Recent Articles

Practical articles on HR, Safety, compliance, and people operations—written for real businesses, not legal textbooks.

U.S. Department of Labor Officially Restores Prior Overtime Exemption Rules

On May 14th, 2026, the Wage and Hour Division (WHD) of the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced it has officially rescinded the 2024 overtime exemption rules. Specifically, the WHD published a technical amendment to restore previous 2019 regulations that dictated overtime exemptions for...

NLRB General Counsel Takes Action to Tackle Current Case Backlog

On May 6th, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and NLRB General Counsel Crystal Stowe Carey announced the bulk transfer of thousands of labor practice cases. Specifically, this action fulfills an initiative signed by the NLRB General Counsel earlier this year. Overall, the initiative...

Privacy Agency Invites Comments from Businesses on the CCPA’s Usage of Personal Data

Recently, the California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA) issued a call for comments on the current state of personal data collection under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). Specifically, the invitation to deliver remarks was issued on April 20th, 2026. The information provided by the...

DOL Proposes New Joint Employer Rule To Unify Standards Under Federal Labor Laws

In April 2026, the U.S. Department of Labor issued a proposed rule to establish a single, clear standard for determining when joint-employer status applies under three major federal laws: the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), and the Migrant and Seasonal...

DOL Updates Enforcement Approach for Employee Benefit Plans: What Employers Should Know

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) recently announced a significant change in its enforcement of employee benefit plan rules. The DOL will now focus more closely on serious violations that harm workers and retirees, meaning compliant employers may face less scrutiny under the updated approach.

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Articles by Girish Anand