A Visit from St. Nicholas (with Apologies to Clement Moore)

‘Twas the month before January when all through the land,
not an employer was sleeping but thinking what might be at hand.

Their stockings were hung by the chimneys with care,
in hopes that a miracle would negate the coal that might end up there.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
with visions of school at home dancing in their heads.

Mrs. Harris on the West coast and Mr. Biden on the East,
had just settled their brains for a short winter’s sleep.

Then out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
Mr. Biden jumped from his bed to see what was the matter.

Away to the window the President-Elect flew like a flash,
tore open the windows and threw up the sash.

For what to his wondering eyes should appear,
but Santa, his sleigh and new employment laws some a reverse of four years.

With an administration predicted to be so employee friendly and quick,
employers knew at that moment it wasn’t a trick.

More rapid than eagles the changes may come; let’s look and see what the election has won.

More support for Unions and the NLRB too, via the Protecting the Right to Organize Act
and Public employees will join the Union Game with the Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act.

Affordable Care Act expansion likely will be a fact
The past four years they will certainly retract.

The likelihood of more paid leaves from COVID to the FMLA
Along with potentially higher employer taxes for FICA.

Happy the Department of Labor and EEOC will be,
as they should get more workers, for more investigations, more OSHA and COVID-19 rules, posters and who knows what else we shall see.

And perhaps a double digit minimum wage, a Fairness for Farmworkers Act and a Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights.

Goodbye we may say to mandatory arbitration, Independent Contractors and non-compete clauses.

To the top of the Senate, to the top of the wall, many employer friendly laws may dash away, dash away, dash away all.

The new Administration’s eyes how they twinkled, their cheeks like roses their noses like berries

Why so much joy you might say?
Because they knew proposed new laws and policies would be on their way.

In the wink of an eye, employers’ faces signaled much work needed to be done
to keep up and prepare for the changes to come.

New handbooks, new policies, new posters to come;
Like elves employers will toil by moonlight and sun.

In less than a minute with his job done, Santa turned and said—Remember dear employers, you are employees too and thus some new laws will benefit you.

Then, laying a finger aside of his nose.
he nodded his head and up the chimney he rose.

And just as Santa flew out of sight
he called out Happy Holidays to all and to all a Good Night!

This article first appeared in The Journal Record on December 18, 2020, and is reproduced with permission from the publisher.

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Associated People:

Madalene A.B. Witterholt

Practice Area:

Labor & Employment