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Robert Horton

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As chair of the firm’s Labor & Employment Practice Group, Bob Horton represents management in all areas of labor and employment law. Bob’s practice consists primarily of counseling clients regarding employment issues and defending companies against all manner of employment claims throughout the U.S.

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The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has announced that on April 23 it will vote on publishing and then adopting a finalized new rule that will prohibit employers from enforcing non-competes against workers. Under the originally proposed rule, non-compete agreements that bar any worker from accepting competing employment or starting a competing business would be prohibited with some exceptions for a limited category of transactions.Continue Reading Register Now | The FTC’s Non-Compete Ban: What Employers Need to Know Webinar

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) recently issued a decision radically changing how employers may use (or, more accurately, not use) nondisparagement and confidentiality clauses in severance agreements.Continue Reading NLRB Rules that Confidentiality and Nondisparagement Provisions in Severance Agreements Presented to Section 7 Employees are Unlawful

As employees are increasingly returning to the office, a new amendment to existing Tennessee law regarding vaccination further complicates the landscape for employers concerning COVID-19 vaccine mandates.  See the full text of the amendment here.

Chapter 2 of Title 14 of the Tennessee Code, passed in November 2021 by the Tennessee Legislature, prohibits a private business, governmental entity, school, or local education agency from compelling or otherwise taking “adverse action” against a person to compel proof of having received a COVID-19 vaccination if the person objects to being vaccinated “for any reason.”  See TCA 14-2-102(a).  In other words, a private business in Tennessee cannot take adverse action against a person based on their vaccination status.  As you may recall, Title 14 provided private businesses with an opportunity to request an exemption from this blanket restriction on their ability to require proof of vaccination by requesting the comptroller exclude the entity from the purview of this law.Continue Reading New Amendment to the Tennessee COVID-19 Bill Provides Medical and Religious Exemptions to Certain Tennessee Employees Subject to Mandatory Vaccination Policies

Join us for a virtual seminar in which the firm’s labor & employment and employee benefits attorneys will discuss recent COVID-19-related announcements from the CDC, FDA and other relevant agencies, and the implications they have on how employers should structure policies and procedures moving forward.

In this session, we will provide guidance for navigating the…

In response to President Biden’s Executive Order issued on January 21, 2021, directing the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to take action to reduce the risk that workers may contract COVID-19 in the workplace, OSHA has issued an emergency temporary standard (ETS) to set forth guidelines to protect healthcare workers.

Effective June 21, 2021, the ETS applies only to settings where any employee provides healthcare services or healthcare support services.  The masking, distancing, and barrier requirements under the ETS do not apply to settings with well-defined areas where all employees are fully vaccinated and there is no reasonable expectation that any person with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 will be present. OSHA has provided a flowchart to determine which workplaces are affected.

Develop and implement a COVID-19 plan:  Employers are required to develop and implement a plan to combat COVID-19.  This plan must be in writing if there are more than 10 employees.  Employers must conduct hazard assessments for each specific workplace to identify potential COVID-19 hazards and designate a safety coordinator with the authority to ensure compliance with all aspects of the plan.

Limit and monitor points of entry:  In workplaces where direct patient care is provided, employers must limit and monitor points of entry.  Patients, clients, residents, and other visitors must also be screened and triaged.  Other patient management strategies must be implemented per CDC guidance.Continue Reading OSHA Issues Emergency Temporary Standard to Protect Healthcare Workers from COVID-19

The legislatures of Oregon, Nevada and Illinois recently placed additional limitations on restrictive covenants, particularly non-competition covenants.

Changes to Oregon Restrictive Covenants

Effective as to agreements entered into on or after May 21, 2021, Oregon has further restricted non-compete agreements.  Oregon previously limited non-compete agreements to a maximum of 18 months from the date of separation and to only those employees who do the following:

  • Engage in administrative, executive or professional work.
  • Perform predominately intellectual, managerial or creative tasks.
  • Exercise discretion and independent judgment.
  • Are paid a salary (or combination of salary and commissions) that exceeds the median income for a four-person family.

Continue Reading Oregon, Nevada and Illinois Further Limit Restrictive Covenants

From the Bass, Berry & Sims Blog Network
From the Bass, Berry & Sims Blog Network

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