Nearly every non-essential business in Pennsylvania has been shut down, using a greatly reduced workforce, or telecommuting as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The loss of revenue and profits is staggering. Customers across the United States and around the world are either shuttered entirely themselves or buying at greatly reduced levels. Many companies carry […]
COVID-19 Produces Its First Wrongful Death Suit in Pennsylvania
As we predicted in a recent blog, the pandemic is likely to prompt a flood of wrongful death lawsuits against private sector and municipal employers. On May 7, 2020, Pennsylvania’s first Covid-19 related wrongful death suit was filed in a Philadelphia Common Pleas court. It alleges that a worker at the JBS meatpacking plant in […]
Are WARN Notices Required for COVID-19 Layoffs in Pennsylvania?
As a result of Pennsylvania’s COVID-19 stay-at-home order, many businesses are having employees telecommute – some for the first time. But others have had to terminate or furlough all or some of their workforce, whether employees wear white or blue collars. As efforts intensify to flatten and squash the curve of COVID-19, businesses and non-profits […]
Don’t Let COVID-19 Layoffs Trigger Discrimination Complaints
On April 14, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed a “COVID-19 Emergency Mitigation Plan for Businesses.” It requires Gov.Tom Wolf to publish guidelines on how businesses can operate while reducing the risk of spreading the coronavirus. Businesses that comply would be allowed to reopen. It’s not certain that Gov. Wolf will sign the law […]
Workers Using Medical Marijuana Are Protected from Being Fired
Employees who are prescribed medical marijuana and are terminated by employers for using it in the workplace just received a serious level of protection. A Lackawanna County court said an employee’s suit against her former employer may proceed. Pamela Palmiter worked as a medical assistant for Commonwealth Health Inc. In 2018, she became a certified […]