Hunton Employment & Labor Perspectives

The United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”), does not have a safety standard specifically addressing extreme weather. Instead, OSHA relies on the General Duty Clause of the Occupational Safety and Health Act to address identified hazards to workers in extreme weather. The General Duty Clause requires employers to provide employees “a place of employment which [is] free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm.”

On November 6, 2025, the Eighth Circuit issued its decision in Home Depot U.S.A. v. NLRB, reaffirming the right of employers to prohibit employees (particularly those in customer-facing roles) from wearing politically-charged insignia on their work uniforms. 

Hunton’s Labor and Employment Team has been recognized as nationwide leaders by Benchmark Litigation’s 2026 Labor and Employment guide. The Labor and Employment Team was recognized as a Tier 1 law firm nationwide. 

Join us for an in-depth examination of the current and future business immigration landscape as we analyze trends from 2025 and look towards 2026. This webinar will provide participants critical insight into executive orders, USCIS trends, and compliance strategies, enabling businesses and professionals to prepare for the upcoming year. 

S.B. 642, the Pay Equity Enforcement Act, brings significant changes to California’s pay transparency and pay discrimination laws. Signed by Governor Gavin Newsom on October 8, the law takes effect January 1, 2026, and is poised to reshape employer obligations statewide.

Contracts issued subject to the Service Contract Act (“SCA”—also known as the Service Contract Labor Standards) require contractors and subcontractors to, among other things, pay an hourly health and welfare benefit specified in an applicable Wage Determination (“WD”). The Department of Labor (“DOL”) issues an updated health and welfare benefit amount annually, which is subsequently incorporated into revised WDs.

Earlier this month, two of President Donald Trump‘s key National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) nominees inched closer to office. A majority of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) voted in favor of NLRB Board Member nominee, James Murphy, and NLRB General Counsel nominee, Crystal Carey.

Hunton’s OSHA lawyers will provide an update on the status of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) under the Trump administration. The discussion will include the status of current rulemaking, DOGE’s impact on OSHA operations, enforcement trends, and state plan developments.

On September 30, 2025, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) issued opinion letters addressing issues relating to tip pooling, joint employment, and regular rate of pay calculation under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).  

The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals recently issued a significant ruling for employers facing Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) collective actions.