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Quick Hits MSHA’s FY 2027 budget justification seeks nearly a 10 percent funding cut while preserving core inspection duties and shifting resources toward training, regulation, data analytics, and technology. The proposal would reduce funded staffing through attrition, eliminate the Brookwood-Sago mine safety grants program, and pursue AI tools for inspectors. Mine operators can expect MSHA to maintain regular inspections despite fewer enforcement positions. Overall, MSHA is requesting nearly a 10…

Quick Hits Under German labor law, employees claiming unequal treatment in relation to a “comparator” must specifically demonstrate in court that they perform the same or equivalent work as the comparator. Anyone seeking to sue for “equal hourly wages” must specifically demonstrate the number of working hours on which their own monthly salary is based; without a verifiable gross hourly wage for the plaintiff, a comparison with the comparator’s gross…

Quick Hits A new proposed rule from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and U.S. Department of the Treasury would allow employers to provide coverage for fertility treatments as a limited excepted benefit. Employees would be able to enroll in excepted benefit fertility coverage without having to enroll in the employer’s group health plan. This excepted benefit coverage would apply only to…

Quick Hits In a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court ruled that federal courts that have stayed claims in pending actions under Section 3 of the FAA maintain jurisdiction to confirm or vacate the resulting arbitral awards under sections 9 and 10 of the FAA. In this case, the original employment discrimination claims were sufficient to establish the federal district court’s jurisdiction. The Court ruled that the original claims also established…

Quick Hits The Supreme Court recently found that freight brokers can be sued for negligent hiring after accidents involving motor carriers selected for interstate transport of goods. The FAAAA does not override state laws concerning negligent hiring of unsafe motor carriers. The FAAAA preempts state laws related to prices, routes, and services for commercial trucking companies and brokers. However, a safety exception allows states to maintain safety regulatory authority with…

Quick Hits Effective July 10, 2026, a new USCIS interim final rule gives adjudicators explicit regulatory authority to deny—rather than merely reject—immigration benefit requests with invalid signatures. Unlike a rejection, a denial means USCIS retains the filing fee, and the petitioner must file an entirely new petition to try again. Employers, HR professionals, and immigration practitioners may want to review signature workflows now, as USCIS will not permit petitioners to…

Quick Hits The California Court of Appeal, First Appellate District, affirmed the holding that an employer could not enforce an arbitration agreement since it was neither a signatory to the contract nor an “affiliate” of the staffing agency. The court further held that even if the employer was a third-party beneficiary of the arbitration agreement, the agreement did not cover claims arising after the employment with the staffing agency ended.…