Welcome to The Employer Rapport, Baker McKenzie’s Labor and Employment video chat series for US multinational employers. In each on-demand episode, our lawyers provide insights and quick, practical tips on today’s most pressing issues and legal developments impacting employers both at the domestic and global levels. This week we discuss What’s the Fate of the Federal Contractor Vaccine Mandate After SCOTUS’s Stay of the OSHA ETS?

Shelter-in-place or stay-at-home orders have been prevalent throughout the United States since March 2020 as state and local governments have sought to protect their citizens from the spread of the COVID-19 virus while at the same time reopen their economies in accordance with phased reopening plans. Key developments reflected in this week’s update to the Tracker include Colorado, Hawaii, Indiana, Louisiana and Rhode Island extending their state-wide orders on reopening.

Between maintaining business continuity and keeping your workforce safe, we know there’s been little time to track the rapidly changing employment law landscape in California — with our “quick hits” format, we will provide a content-rich presentation complete with practical takeaways in 75 minutes. This webinar is designed to ensure that California in-house counsel are up to speed on the top employment law developments of 2021 and are prepared for what’s on the horizon in 2022.

Key developments reflected in this week’s update to the tracker include the following: Colorado, Connecticut, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Tennessee and Washington, DC extend their state-wide orders and reopening plans. New Mexico issued a new mask mandate requiring all persons aged two or older to wear a mask indoors, except when eating or drinking.

The latest video in Baker McKenzie’s “The Employer Rapport – Quick chats for the US workplace” looks at guidelines for accommodating sincerely held religious beliefs and disabilities for employers mandating vaccinations.

Shelter-in-place or stay-at-home orders have been prevalent throughout the United States since March 2020 as state and local governments have sought to protect their citizens from the spread of the COVID-19 virus while at the same time reopen their economies in accordance with phased reopening plans. Illinois, Iowa and New Mexico extended their state-wide orders and/or the duration of the current phase of their reopening plans. Washington amended its state-wide mask mandate to require facial coverings for large outdoor events with 500 or more individual, regardless of vaccination status.

Key developments reflected in this week’s update to the tracker include the following: President Biden issued a COVID-19 Action Plan, which requires, among other things, that all employers with 100 or more employees ensure their workers are vaccinated or tested weekly. Colorado, Delaware, Indiana and Louisiana extended their state-wide orders and/or the duration of the current phase of their reopening plans Louisiana and Washington implemented state-wide mask mandates, while Nevada changed its mask mandate to give organizers of conventions in counties with substantial or high COVID-19 transmission rates the option to allow attendees to remove their masks if the organizer can guarantee that all attendees are vaccinated

Baker McKenzie has a team in place that has been advising clients in real-time on critical issues surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic since the first shelter-in-place/stay-at-home orders were enacted. The latest update on 27 August 2021 reflects these developments:
• The following jurisdictions extended their state-wide orders and/or the duration of the current phase of their reopening plans: Delaware, Illinois, Iowa, and New Mexico.
• The following jurisdictions imposed new face-covering requirements: Illinois, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, and West Virginia.

US employers want employees to return to the brick and mortar workplace but with the COVID-19 Delta variant rampaging across the US and elsewhere, many employers are requiring employees to be vaccinated before they return – and they are requiring proof of vaccination. So, what can employers do to track the vaccination status of their employees?

In this Quick Chat video, our Labor and Employment and Data Privacy lawyers discuss risks and best practices for US employers on tracking proof of employee vaccinations, and take a look at data privacy issues that can arise.

The United States Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has decided to sing the same song as its sister agency. On 13 August 2021, OSHA updated its guidance for American workplaces, auto-tuning its recommendations for fully vaccinated employees to match recent guidance issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.