Avram N. Tynes

McGrath North is excited to announce the hiring of new associates Micah Q. Carlson, Jeanne J. Kelley and Avram N. Tynes. All three clerked with the firm during their law school careers and will join the Business and Corporate, Intellectual Property, and Labor, Employment and Benefits teams.  

Today, a federal judge in Texas blocked the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) from enforcing a rule that would have expanded overtime eligibility for millions of workers by raising the salary minimum to $58,656 effective January 1, 2025.  

Just yesterday, Nebraska voters passed ballot initiative 436 regarding paid sick leave in Nebraska, mandating that most private employers in the state provide paid sick leave for their employees. As currently proposed, the Nebraska Healthy Families and Workplaces Act (NHFWA), takes effect on October 1, 2025, and while the law itself is clear in many respects, we are still awaiting final regulations from the Nebraska Department of Labor (NDOL) to clarify certain details. Below is an overview of what we know so far and steps you can take to prepare your business.  

When employees decide to leave their employer and engage in competition, they frequently overlook their duty of loyalty. Absent a non-compete or non-solicitation restriction, an employee may believe that he or she can freely engage in discussions with clients and customers regarding their intention to leave employment and engage in a competitive business.  

Recently, the General Counsel for the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”), Jennifer Abruzzo, issued a memorandum responding to inquiries that became prevalent after the McLaren Macomb decision. In McLaren Macomb, the NLRB took aim at overbroad non-disparagement and confidentiality provisions in severance agreements. The NLRB also found that simply offering a severance agreement to an employee can violate the National Labor Relations Act (“NLRA” or the “Act”) if the agreement provides severance benefits in exchange for giving up statutory rights under Section 7 of the Act - NLRB Takes Aim At Severance Agreements.