Labor and Employment Law

Government regulation of the workplace and the increasing litigation of employment disputes have resulted in a tremendous expansion of law surrounding labor and employment. The labor and employment area is no longer concerned solely with union organizing campaigns, collective bargaining, and arbitrations. Now, this field involves almost every aspect of the employment relationship. 

To meet the ever-expanding and changing developments in labor and employment, Wood + Lamping assists our clients in almost every type of labor and employment dispute. We advise and represent clients in traditional labor matters in private and public sectors — including labor organizing campaigns, collective bargaining agreement negotiations (including SERB impasse procedures), labor arbitrations, and unfair labor practice disputes.

Experience

  • Advised, consulted, and represented clients regarding compliance with equal employment opportunity laws, wage and hour laws, the Americans with Disability Act and state handicap laws, workers’ compensation statutes, the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Occupational Safety and Health Act and state workplace safety laws, the Employment Retirement Income Security Act and other relevant federal and state laws addressing workplace matters.
  • Represented clients before the numerous Federal and State agencies with jurisdiction over employment, including when their policies, agreements, programs or decisions become the subject of a government inquiry and private lawsuit.

  • Assist our clients in creating employment agreements, non-competition and confidentiality agreements, severance agreements, employment manuals, drug and alcohol testing policies and other work-related documents.

  • In addition, to representing and defending our clients, we provide training to assist with compliance with the law. 

Related News

On April 23, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced an administrative rule that would ban almost all non-competition agreements. The rule is scheduled to take effect in about four months (around August 2024). Within a couple days several businesses, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, filed lawsuits requesting that the rule be overturned. The courts may either reject the rule entirely, delay the effective date of the rule, or uphold the rule and permit it to take effect.
In early January 2023, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission announced a proposed rule that would bar employers from entering into non-competition agreements with employees and require employers to rescind any existing non-competition agreements. Many sources give the impression that the ban is in place or just around the corner. While this is certainly news worth following, we strongly encourage employers and employees to understand one critical thing: employee non-competition agreements are not dead yet.

Get in touch - we're here to help, in business and in life.