2022 Employment Law Updates: What You Need to Know

Local attorneys representing Chamber member law firms will present current, relevant material regarding workforce and employment law.

7:340 - 8:40am:  Bruce Henderson, Phelps, Jenkins, Gibson & Fowler, L.L.P. shares Managing Legal Challenges from the Biden Administration, the Delta COVID Variant, and Other Key Employment Issues. In this session, Bruce Henderson will cover some of the more difficult issues all employers are facing in light of the resurgence in the COVID Delta variant, and a new pro-employee and anti-business Federal administration.  Bruce will go over anticipated changes to your no compete agreements, how you classify workers as Independent Contractors or employees, minimum wages and overtime, worker’s comp issues like retaliatory discharge, OSHA investigations and how to deal with fatalities, to some more light-hearted return to work issues like Pets at Work and Proper Use of Pronouns.

8:45 - 9:45am:  Jeffrey Smith, Watson & Smith, LLC discusses Internal investigations, handbooks and company polices, the new (remote, in-office, hybrid) workforce – perspective from an in-house lawyer.  ​

9:55 - 10:55am:  Tom Scroggins, Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete, LLP reviews The National Labor Relations Act and developments. Call it “Unions and You in the Biden Era.”​

11:00 - 12:00pm:  Ruth McFarland, Winter McFarland, Attorneys & Counselors at Law gives an update on Alabama’s New Medical Marijuana Law – what does it mean for the workplace?  In this presentation you will be given an overview of Alabama’s new medical marijuana law, who is covered, the timeline for implementation, and what it means for your business.  We will discuss requirements and protections for employers, and potential impacts on employee discipline, drug policies, workers comp, and more.