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Joel focuses his practice on the representation of management in all phases of labor relations and employment litigation. He routinely advises employers on all aspects of their relationships with employees, as well as with respect to matters concerning litigation prevention and human resources management, and he regularly defends them in federal and state courts of all jurisdictions on claims arising under the various federal and state labor and employment laws. Joel additionally represents employers with respect to complaints and charges filed with the EEOC and OCRC, NLRB, and SERB, and with OSHA and the DOL, as well as with health care and ERISA issues and complaints, and collective bargaining issues and strike disputes. Joel is also a frequent presenter at seminars and management training programs on a wide variety of topics.

On November 13, 2024, the National Labor Relations Board issued a decision that overturned a  ruling previously in effect for 76 years, Babcock & Wilcox Co., 77 NLRB 577 (1948), in which the Board had held employers were allowed to conduct “captive-audience meetings” during union organizing campaigns.  

In Amazon.com Services LLC, NLRB Case No. 29-CA-280153

On April 29, 2024, in response to an Executive Order issued by President Biden last October, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (“OFCCP”) of the U.S. Department of Labor issued guidance to federal contractors on the use of artificial intelligence (“AI”) in order to address, “AI in the Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) context.”

Approximately 21 states and several municipalities have enacted laws that prohibit inquiries by employers into the salary history of applicants.  These laws are based primarily on the arguments that: 1) salary history does not accurately reflect an applicant’s qualifications and capabilities, or the market standard for similar positions; 2) relying on the salary history of

We previously reported in August on the National Labor Relations Board’s decision in Cemex Construction Materials Pacific, NLRB Case No. 28-CA-230115, 327 NLRB No. 130 (August 25, 2023), wherein the Board overruled long-standing precedent and adopted a new scheme to provide labor unions with an easier path to unionizing a company. 
 
On Tuesday, November

We previously reported that disability advocates for many years had been asking for action with respect to the use of artificial intelligence (“AI”) tools, as it is estimated that approximately 80% of employers use some form of automated tool to screen candidates. To that end, on May 12, 2022, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

In March of 2020, the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB” or “the Board”) finalized a rule that substantially overhauled certain parts of NLRB election procedures thereby providing additional protections to the rights of workers with respect to their ability to choose whether or not they wanted to be represented by a union.

More specifically, in

Since at least 1978 when the U.S. Equal Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) issued guidance on hiring tools, employers have known that they need to analyze carefully any testing procedures they utilize to screen potential employees and current employees in order to ensure that they are properly validated and do not discriminate against individuals or protected classes

Shortly after taking office in January, 2021, President Biden created the White House Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment. The Task Force’s mission is to develop policies, programs and practices to promote worker organizing and collective bargaining. It is chaired by Vice President Harris, its vice chair is Labor Secretary Marty Walsh, and its

As we all know by now, on November 5, 2021, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued an Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) to protect workers in businesses with more than 100 employees from the Coronavirus, and on November 6, 2021, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals stayed enforcement of the ETS. B.S.T. Holdings, LLC,