Vogel Law Firm Employment and Labor Law group chair Lisa Edison-Smith recently answered employer questions and outlined the basic provisions of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. In her FFCRA Presentation: Part 1, Lisa outlined important FFCRA leave points of critical interest to employers. In the most recent, follow up session, Lisa provided an update…

By Michelle Scimecca How is your COVID-19 plan?  I have an exercise for you; consider making the following table for your organization: Date Changes due to COVID-19 Impact of change Consequence There are a few reasons I suggest this exercise.  First, my hope is you can give yourself a pat on the back – you…

By Caren Stanley Whiting Petroleum filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on April 1, 2020 in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas, Case No. 20-32021. In a Chapter 11 bankruptcy case, the debtor continues operations and attempts to restructure its debts as contrasted with a Chapter 7 bankruptcy case in which…

On April 1, 2020, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) went into effect, and later the same day, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued the regulations that employers had been waiting for (published in the Federal Register on April 6, 2020). These are Vogel Law Firm’s Employment and Labor Practice Group’s “Top 10…

By Caren W. Stanley The financial fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic is just now beginning to be felt, and there is no doubt the ramifications of a depressed market will continue to resonate for the foreseeable future. Despite this uncertainty, the fact remains that contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers who have performed or contributed to improvements…

By Josh Swanson and Caren Stanley The tsunami that has rocked the oil and gas industry claimed its biggest fish yet as Whiting Petroleum, one of the largest operators in North Dakota, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on April 1. A depressed market in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with the ongoing strife between…

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued highly awaited interim regulations for the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) today, April 1.  The regulations provide much needed guidance on the notice employees must provide to their employers of the need to take leave and required documentation to support requests for paid sick leave and emergency…

Notice 2020-21, recently released by the IRS, provides that tax credits for qualified sick leave wages and extended family leave wages required to be paid by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“Act”) will apply to wages paid for the period beginning on April 1, 2020, and ending on December 31, 2020. There has been…

Federal CARES Act Key Provisions On March 27, Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.   The bill is a whopping 335 pages in its official print version and provides $2 trillion in stimulus benefits with many provisions aimed at supporting small business, encouraging employee retention, providing direct relief to individuals and…

Over the weekend, the Department of Labor (“DOL”) issued its third installment of FAQs regarding the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”). The FAQs now provide answers to fifty-nine questions related to the FFCRA’s paid sick leave and expanded family and medical leave provisions. Within these answers, the DOL has provided interpretations that are largely…