Top 10 Labor & Employment Law Stories of 2009: Numbers 4 and 3

4. The Swine Flu. Apart from the economy, no story dominated the headlines more in 2009 than H1N1. Because employees get sick, and need to be away from work when they are, H1N1 greatly impacted our workplaces:

• Swine flu: panic versus preparedness
• EEOC chimes in on swine flu with guides on how to prepare and remain Title VII/ADA compliant
• Can employers require flu shots for their employees?
• Do you know? Handling employees with suspected swine flu
• Do you know? H1N1 and employees’ leave rights

3. The Obama Administration’s DOL & EEOC. True to his word, President Obama has prioritized the plight of the working-class. One need only scan the EEOC’s press releases to see that it has significantly ramped up its prosecution of EEO violations. Meanwhile, the Justice Department announced that it is hiring an additional 50 attorneys to increase its enforcement of civil rights violations. The Department of Labor has hired 250 new investigators to step up enforcement of its Wage & Hour Division, specifically to target industries that employ vulnerable workers, such as agriculture, restaurants, janitorial, construction, and car washes.

---

Presented by Kohrman Jackson & Krantz, with offices in Cleveland and Columbus. For more information, contact Jon Hyman, a partner in our Labor & Employment group, at (216) 736-7226 or jth@kjk.com.