Compliance Stuff

Alabama has enacted a new law aimed at improving access to employment for uniformed services personnel and their spouses. 0:00 5:26 Quick Hits Effective January 1, 2027, private employers in Alabama may voluntarily adopt written hiring and promotion preference policies for veterans, spouses of veterans, and spouses of active-duty service members. Employers that implement such policies must notify the Alabama Department of Workforce. The Alabama law’s definitions of veterans and active-duty service members may be narrower than those under USERRA. HB 307 On April 16, 2026, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey signed into law House Bill (HB) 307, Act No 2026-574 , titled, “Expanding Employment Opportunities for Military Families in Alabama,” along with a broader package of legislation intended to assist military families. HB 307 replaces former Alabama Code Section 36-226-15 and takes effect on January 1, 2027. While the new law primarily applies to access to state employment for uniformed service p...

Takeaways The potential for expanded use of National Guard and Reserve forces makes USERRA compliance for employers critical. USERRA’s broad, mandatory protections for employees include military leave and some benefits continuation.  With strict bans on discrimination or retaliation tied to past, current or future military service, employers’ proactive policy review and manager training are essential. Article The recent United States military engagement in the Middle East, as well as significant domestic deployments in multiple large cities in 2025 and 2026, underscores the increasing reliance on National Guard and Reserve forces. Recruitment trends indicate an expanded operational role with nearly 50,000 National Guard enlistees added in 2025 . At this time, understanding employers’ compliance obligations under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) is more important than ever. USERRA guarantees the rights of military service members to take a leave...

The recent $18.5 million settlement in  Huntsman v. Southwest Airlines Co.  represents the largest USERRA class action recovery reported to date and signals a significant shift in how employers approach paid short term military leave when other comparable short leaves (e.g., jury duty, bereavement) are paid. Under the proposed deal, approximately 2,791 employees will share monetary relief and—importantly—the company will implement up to 10 paid days per year of short term military leave beginning in 2026 and continuing through 2030. This paid-leave policy acts as a practical benchmark for HR leaders across industries. Courts across multiple circuits—including the Seventh, Third, and Ninth—now agree: if you pay for jury duty or bereavement leave, you must treat short-term military leave equally . This is not an industry-specific issue; retail and logistics employers have also faced multimillion-dollar settlements. The policy implemented under the  Huntsman  settlemen...

At a Glance This Littler Lightbulb highlights some of the more significant employment and labor law developments in the federal courts of appeal in the last month. Seventh Circuit Affirms Summary Judgment for University in Professor’s Race Bias Suit Saud v. DePaul University , 154 F.4th 563 (7th Cir. 2025), involved a former university professor’s claim of race discrimination in violation of 42 U.S.C. § 1981 based on the university’s decisions (1) not to rehire him as an adjunct professor and (2) deeming him ineligible for future employment. In response, the university argued it based its decisions on (1) its investigation of allegations in a separate lawsuit filed by one of the professor’s students claiming he improperly induced her to have sexual relations, (2) two additional reports of potential misconduct, (3) low projected enrollment in the professor’s courses, and (4) the plaintiff’s request for a higher salary than the department had authorized for the adjunct position. The dist...