History Has Its Eyes On You, Employers
By Amy Epstein Gluck | | Diversity and Inclusion, Employee Benefits, Race-based Discrimination, Harassment
Most employers provide vacation and holiday leave. Now, employers have a new holiday to add to their roster: Juneteenth. On June 17, 2021, President Joe Biden signed a bill establishing Juneteenth, the date marking the end of slavery in the United States, as a federal holiday. (CNBC) This is a big deal. A very big…
Read More New EEOC Guidance Has Arrived! Key Points Employers Need To Know
By Amy Epstein Gluck | | Covid-19 Vaccines, EEOC, Workplace Safety
Imagine my excitement late Friday when I saw that long-awaited new federal guidance arrived from the Equal Employment Opportunity Center (EEOC). I think I yelped “yay” out loud while trying to peruse the new and updated Technical Assistance Questions and Answers. I’m not going to bury the ledes; here are some big ticket points: Employers…
Read More Workin’ Moms During COVID-19
By Amy Epstein Gluck | | Covid-19, Discrimination in the Workplace, Mental Health, Race-based Discrimination, Harassment, Workplace Safety
Whether we’re talking about show on Netflix about four Canadian women with very different jobs and families or the oxymoron of the “working mom” (because, of course, all moms work), mothers, in particular, seem to have carried a heavier load during this pandemic. The devastation hit Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders (AANHPI)…
Read More What Does The New CDC Guidance Mean For Your Business?
By Amy Epstein Gluck | | CDC Guidance, Workplace Safety
It depends, as per usual in the employment space. The latest mask guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced last week that fully vaccinated Americans don’t need to wear masks or social distance indoors, with some exceptions. Business leaders, eager to get the workforce back at work, rejoiced. But not so…
Read More Fire Department In Flames With Discrimination and Retaliation Claims
By Amy Epstein Gluck | | Discrimination in the Workplace, Race, Religion, and National Origin, Retaliation, Sex Discrimination, Sexual Harassment
Quite often, retaliation claims bite employers in the backside rather than employees’ underlying claims for sexual or race-based harassment and other forms of discrimination. That’s what I was thinking as I read about a complaint filed last month against the Hillsboro government and chiefs at the Hillsboro Fire & Rescue Department. Three current employees allege…
Read More Flexibility Is Key To “Coaxing” Workers Back to the Office
By Amy Epstein Gluck | | Accommodation of Disabilities, Covid-19, General Employer Guidance, Mental Health, Workplace Safety
Reading “They Want You Back In the Office, How to coax corporate America to return to work?” on Sunday, I thought to myself “oh good, this will address incentives and COVID-19 vaccines, the provision of paid sick leave under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), and, of course, ideas on flexibility to coax back…
Read More Employers, Thinking About Providing PTO To Employees Who Get COVID-19 Vaccines?
By Amy Epstein Gluck | | Covid-19, Covid-19 Vaccines, FFCRA
If so, President Biden rewards you for it! The White House just announced a paid leave tax credit to employers that provide full pay for any employee that takes time to get a COVID-19 vaccine or recover from the side effects of a COVID-19 vaccine. The American Rescue Plan is funding this tax credit for…
Read More Employers, How Are You Handling Ruff Requests?
By Amy Epstein Gluck | | Accommodation of Disabilities, Disabilities and Accommodations (ADA), Mental Health
As COVID-19 vaccines become more readily available to more people and states ease gathering restrictions, employees are steadily, if slowly, returning to the office. As life returns to a semblance of normal, I wonder if employers will see an increase in requests from employees to bring their emotional support animals (“ESAs”) to work. Indeed, mental…
Read More Employers—Do You Want To Talk About These New COBRA Subsidies or Emotional Support Animals In The Workplace?
By Amy Epstein Gluck | | Employee Benefits, General Employer Guidance
Yeah, I know, let’s talk about the adorable animals your employees want to bring in to work. That’s tomorrow, but first, a word about COBRA under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA). As we have parsed through new paid sick and medical leave language under this new law, on April 7, 2021, the…
Read More Sexual Harassment—Allegations of A Hostile Work Environment With A Side of Quid Pro Quo
By Amy Epstein Gluck | | Abuse in the Workplace, EEOC, Sexual Harassment
If you thought sexual harassment abated during COVID-19, think again. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) continues to follow its strategic plan and filed suit this week against one Virginia-based company that owns several IHOP franchises for a manager’s alleged sexual harassment of female employees. Particularly notable, several of the female employees are teenagers. Specifically,…
Read More RICHARD COHEN
Richard Cohen has litigated and arbitrated complex corporate, commercial and employment disputes for more than 35 years, and is a trusted advisor to business owners and in-house counsel both in the United States and internationally. His clients have included Fortune 100 companies, domestic and foreign commercial and investment banks, Pacific-rim corporations and real estate development companies, as well as start-up businesses throughout the United States.
AMY EPSTEIN GLUCK
Amy Epstein Gluck has represented individuals and corporate clients in Virginia, Washington, D.C., and various federal district courts for more than twenty years. Ms. Epstein Gluck’s current practice areas include employment law—advising on and drafting employment agreements; handling employment negotiations, severance agreements, noncompete and nondisclosure agreements, “wrongful terminations” and other EEO matters; representation at the EEOC level; advising employers about discrimination laws and how to remain in compliance, and employment negotiations.
