Vigilant Blog

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has updated its guidance for H-2A visa applications in light of current legal challenges to the Farmworker Protection Rule (FPR), while the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has adopted a new final rule that gives H-2A workers more flexibility and places greater burdens on H-2A employers. As we…

On August 26, 2024, a federal district court blocked the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL)’s far-reaching H-2A worker protection rule (also known as the Farmworker Protection Rule) from going into effect in 17 states, including Idaho and Montana, and the DOL has delayed implementation across the nation. As we previously reported, the DOL’s Farmworker Protection…

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) recently announced changes to the rules for determining joint employer status under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The new rules clarify what it means to be a joint employer under the FLSA, and list many helpful examples. The rules take effect March 16, 2020. The DOL discusses two…

On December 20, 2019, President Trump signed the SECURE Act into law, changing some rules for certain types of retirement savings accounts, including 401(k) plans that many companies offer their employees. Before the SECURE Act (which stands for “Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement”), employers offering 401(k) plans could require their employees to work…

The IRS will issue a newly revised Form W-4, Employee’s Withholding Certificate, to be used beginning in 2020 to reflect changes included in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 and help employees improve withholding accuracy. The redesigned form will no longer use withholding allowances to establish income tax withholding but will instead use…