Creating Workforce Management Solutions Since 1973
The 1960s and early 1970s brought several significant employment and labor laws, such as the Equal Pay Act, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (including Title VII), the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, and the Occupational Safety and Health Act. These and other developments were bubbling up at the same time that Epstein Becker Green recognized that businesses would benefit from experienced counsel who understood how to best navigate the rapidly evolving employment and labor landscape.
Creating Workforce Management Solutions Since 1973.
The 1960’s and early seventies brought several significant employment and labor laws, such as the Equal Pay Act, Civil Rights Act (including Title VII), Age Discrimination in Employment Act, and the Occupational Safety and Health Act. These and other developments were bubbling at the same time when Epstein Becker Green recognized that businesses would benefit from experienced counsel who understood how to best navigate the rapidly evolving employment and labor landscape.
Knowing that hospitals grapple with different labor concerns than hotels and that a tech company incentivizes its talent differently from a financial services firm, Epstein Becker Green attorneys gained deep knowledge about the nuances of these highly regulated industries and how various labor and employment laws would impact their business operations.
Our attorneys have worked alongside general counsel and human resource teams in hundreds of workplaces. We’ve been committed to understanding our clients' specific business goals and to developing workplace practices that resonate with their unique workforce needs.
For 50 years, Epstein Becker Green has been helping clients manage change in the workplace. Your Workforce. Our Business.SM
The 1970s
The seventies further ushered in an era of expanded workplace regulations and protections for workers. From the enactment of the Occupational Safety and Health Act in 1971 to landmark amendments to the National Labor Relations Act and Title VII, the decade proved that the government’s reach could extend into nearly every aspect of the employment relationship and virtually all industries. From the outset of its labor and employment practice, Epstein Becker Green established itself as a trusted partner for businesses to navigate this nuanced legal web.
1974
Hospital and Health Care Amendments to the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA)
1974
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA)
1975
NLRB v. J. Weingarten, Inc.
1978
Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA)
1979-1990
Events Increasing Public Awareness of Union Activity and Organizing Rights
The 1980s
Whereas the U.S. Congress was responsible for most labor and employment developments in the seventies, the Supreme Court of the United States and government agencies (such as the National Labor Relations Board) assumed this responsibility in the eighties. The development of sex discrimination jurisprudence during the decade most clearly demonstrated this shift, with the nation’s highest court recognizing both sexual harassment and sex stereotyping as unlawful forms of discrimination after women’s participation in the workplace steeply increased during the decade. As a result, Epstein Becker Green played a critical role in helping employers develop processes to consistently review and revise their practices to conform with the changing legal landscape.
1980
NLRB Decision: Wright Line, A Division of Wright Line, Inc.
1984
Retirement Equity Act (REA)
1986
Meritor Savings Bank v. Vinson
1986
Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA)
1988
Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act
1989
Price Waterhouse v. Hopkins
The 1990s
The nineties brought a renewed focus to legislative efforts to expand worker protections under federal law. Rather than focusing only on what employers could not do in the workplace, the new laws of the nineties also imposed several affirmative obligations on employers. Whether it was reasonably accommodating individuals with disabilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act or providing job-protected leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act, the nineties introduced several complicated compliance schemes for employers, with the aid of Epstein Becker Green attorneys, to understand and implement.
1990
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
1990
Older Workers Benefit Protection Act (OWBPA)
1991
Civil Rights Act of 1991 (CRA)
1993
The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
1994
Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA)
1998
Faragher v. City of Boca Raton and Burlington Industries, Inc. v. Ellerth
1998
Oncale v. Sundowner Offshore Services, Inc.
The 2000s
Advancements in technology, science, and medicine from the turn of the millennium changed the way that workers thought about their health and medical information. With the enactment of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act and landmark amendments to the Americans with Disabilities Act, the scope of federal anti-discrimination laws expanded to accommodate these advancements. With its robust understanding of health laws and regulations, Epstein Becker Green was well suited to advise employers in all industries on these developments.
2008
Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA)
2008
Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA)
2009
Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act
2010 to Now
While social and cultural matters have historically impacted workplace developments, their force reached a new peak beginning in the second decade of the millennium, with relevant events playing out in person, on the internet and social media, and during a global pandemic. From legislative responses to labor-backed minimum wage campaigns to employer responses to social movements (like #MeToo) and the overturning of significant U.S. Supreme Court precedent, nuanced workplace rules, regulations, and policies have become the norm for employers. While it is yet to be seen how this legal landscape will evolve during the remainder of the 2020s, Epstein Becker Green attorneys remain ready to help clients manage the changes in their workplace.
2010
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA)
2012
Fight for $15 Movement
2014
NLRB Decision: Purple Communications
2015
EEOC v. Abercrombie & Fitch Stores, Inc.
2015
Young v. United Parcel Service
2020
Presidential Election and COVID-19 Pandemic
2020
EEOC Guidance for Employers During the COVID-19 Pandemic
2020
Bostock v. Clayton County
2022
Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization