Workplace Wise - Iowa Employment Law Attorneys

Tuesday, January 24, 2017

New I-9 Form: Change is Here

By Elizabeth A. Coonan

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services ("USCIS") announced that all employers must use the Form I-9 bearing date 11/14/2016 N beginning January 22, 2016.  Use of prior versions is no longer acceptable and may subject an employer to fines and penalties. Existing storage and retention rules remain in place and should be followed. The new form contains significant changes in terms of processing and should be reviewed carefully. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions. 

Wednesday, January 4, 2017

Overtime Litigation Update

By Elizabeth A. Coonan

Many employers jumped for joy when the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas issued an injunction halting the implementation of the overtime rule in late 2016. On Tuesday, January 3, 2017, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas issued a ruling denying the U.S. Department of Labor’s request to stay the district court proceedings in the overtime litigation while the DOL’s appeal of the preliminary injunction to the 5th Circuit is heard. The decision denying a stay of the underlying district court matter essentially places employers in the same position as they existed following the issuance of the preliminary injunction.

In an interesting move, the Texas AFL-CIO moved to intervene in the district court lawsuit as an additional party, presumably to permit the lawsuit to continue in the event the new administration withdraws its appeal.  Briefing at the 5th Circuit is scheduled to conclude on January 31, 2017, after President Elect Trump’s inauguration. BrownWinick will continue to keep you informed as to new developments.