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Jeff Nowak is a shareholder at Littler Mendelson P.C., the world’s largest employment and labor law practice representing management.  Jeff represents employers in all areas of labor and employment law, but his passion is the FMLA -- he eats, drinks and sleeps all things FMLA!

Various news outlets and web sites, including the Washington PostFox News and MilitaryFamily.com, have reported that the Department of Labor will propose various changes today to Family and Medical Leave Act regulations regarding military family leave.   Fox reports that Secretary Hilda Solis will make the announcement with First lady Michelle Obama

According

Q: Can an Employer Deny FMLA Leave to An Employee Who Is Not Yet Eligible to Take Leave?

A.  It depends, particularly after a federal appellate court handed down a ruling on this very issue last week.

The underlying story is straightforward: On October 5, 2008, Kathryn Pereda began working for Brookdale, which operates senior

wh380f.jpgIn a flurry of activity at the end of 2011, several employers contacted me to determine whether the DOL notice and certification forms still were valid, even though they contain an expiration date of December 31, 2011.  In short, employers may continue to use the DOL’s FMLA forms, although consider our suggestions below before using

cover your eyes.jpgBefore you read this post, cover your eyes!

Cynthia Adams was a registered hospice nurse for Fayette Home Care and Hospice.  According to one of her hospice patients, Adams apparently showed him and his wife three pictures of her boyfriend’s genitals, the photos of which were stored on her cell phone.  Not surprisingly, 

This Thanksgiving, I have much to be thankful for: a wonderful family and friends, a great job, good health, loyal readers.  The economy of 2011 and beyond continues to be challenging for employers, but there still is much to be thankful for onHappyTurkey.gif this special holiday. 

For those employers open on Black Friday, may your FMLA headaches be scarce, and for those with

When making difficult decisions about eliminating jobs, senior management surely may disagree as to “who” is cut and how it’s done.  However, after the decision is made, it is critical that management collectively support the decision and refrain from public dissension.  When that dissension is shared publicly or with the affected employee, it can spell

turkey.jpgTis the season already, as I am starting to receive telephone calls from employers with questions about how they calculate an employee’s FMLA leave during a holiday week or when the employer is closed for a period of time (e.g., winter break for schools, plant shut down).  As we prepare for the holidays,