EAST TENNESSEE EMPLOYMENT LAW ADVISER

Providing insight on developments in labor and employment law affecting East Tennessee employers and employees.

Employers May Face OSHA Fines For Employee Texting While Driving

We all know that the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) issues and enforces workplace safety and health standards. We expect to see OSHA involved in setting and enforcing safety standards in industrial and construction settings where workplace accidents unfortunately are more prevalent. While OSHA is certainly active in heavily ...

Tennessee “Certificates of Employability” : A Welcome Development for both Employers and Prospective Employees with Criminal Histories

In the last few weeks I have discussed recent developments in Tennessee and federal employment laws which will either take effect on January 1, 2015, or which may soon change some employment practices in Tennessee. One very positive recent development was the Tennessee legislature’s passage of legislation which provides a ...

Tennessee Employee Online Privacy Act Takes Effect January 1, 2015

On April 29, 2014 Governor Haslam signed into law the Employee Online Privacy Act of 2014. This new law takes effect January 1, 2015 and applies to all employers in Tennessee who employ at least one person. The stated purpose of this legislation is to protect employees' "personal internet accounts" ...

United States Department of Labor Issues New Regulations Protecting LGBT Employees and Job Applicants Applicable to Employers Involved in Federal Contracting/Subcontracting

On December 3, 2014 the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) issued revisions to its regulations implementing Executive Order 11246, which prohibits certain forms of employment discrimination by federal contractors and subcontractors. Previously, the Executive Order only prohibited employment discrimination on the bases of race, ...