Posts by Russell Samson

Russell Samson retired from the firm in December 2025.

  • For Employment and Labor Law matters or training inquiries, please contact Melissa Schilling. 

A Lesson in Both Cybersecurity and Responding to Requests for Employee Records

Posted on 06/22/2023 at 01:31 PM by Russell Samson

Categories: Employment & Labor Law, Russ Samson

Tagged As: cybersecurity, employee documents, employee records, employers, phishing, phishing scams

A Lesson in Both Cybersecurity and Responding to Requests for Employee Records

At the outset I acknowledge this blog post focuses on an odd piece of snail mail received by one of our firm’s cli...

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Ignoring a Failed Drug Test as a "Reasonable Accommodation?"

Posted on 10/28/2022 at 04:14 PM by Russell Samson

Categories: Employment & Labor Law, Russ Samson

Tagged As: ADA, Americans with Disabilities Act, drug testing, EEOC, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, pre-employment drug test, PTSD, reasonable accommodation, veteran

Ignoring a Failed Drug Test as a "Reasonable Accommodation?"

On September 21, 2022, the EEOC announced that it was suing a Florida senior living residence, and the entity which owne...

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CDC and Iowa Guidelines After COVID-19 Exposure Now Conflict: Which Should Iowa Employers Follow?

Posted on 10/01/2020 at 02:14 PM by Jill Jensen-Welch, Russell Samson

Categories: Employment & Labor Law, Jill Jensen-Welch, Russ Samson

Tagged As: Centers for Disease Control, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Governor Kim Reynolds, Iowa Department of Public Health, Jill Jensen-Welch, Russ Samson

CDC and Iowa Guidelines After COVID-19 Exposure Now Conflict: Which Should Iowa Employers Follow?

At a press conference on September 29, 2020, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds announced the Iowa Department of Public Health (...

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“You’re Fired.” Cut the Euphemisms: At Least Trump Got This Right on “The Apprentice”

Posted on 08/25/2020 at 11:59 AM by Russell Samson

Categories: Employment & Labor Law, Russ Samson

Tagged As: "You're Fired!", Buzzfeed, Donald Trump, employee termination, furloughs, layoffs, NLRB, Russomano v. Novo Nordisk Inc., The Apprentice

“You’re Fired.” Cut the Euphemisms: At Least Trump Got This Right on “The Apprentice”

The headline of the article reads, “BuzzFeed Lays Off Nearly 70% of Furloughed Staff.” I scratched my nearly...

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Feds Turn Back Time: Notification of Relief from Certain COBRA and HIPAA Deadlines and Timeframes Due to COVID-19

Posted on 05/06/2020 at 10:10 AM by Russell Samson

Categories: Employment & Labor Law, Russ Samson

Tagged As: CARES Act, COBRA, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Department of Labor, disability insurance, DOL, employee benefits, Employee Benefits Security Administration, ERISA, health insurance, HIPAA, IRS, pension plans, The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act

Feds Turn Back Time: Notification of Relief from Certain COBRA and HIPAA Deadlines and Timeframes Due to COVID-19

On May 4, 2020, the Department of the Treasury/IRS and the Department of Labor/Employee Benefits Security Administration...

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Different Definitions of "Son or Daughter" Under EFMLA & EPSL: Differences Not Addressed by the DOL

Posted on 04/03/2020 at 09:08 AM by Russell Samson

Categories: Business Law, Employment & Labor Law, Russ Samson, Wage & Hour Watch

Tagged As: Coronavirus, COVID-19, DOL Wage and Hour Division, EFMLEA, Emergency Family and Medical Leave Act, Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act , Families First Coronavirus Response Act, FFCRA, paid family leave, paid sick leave

Different Definitions of "Son or Daughter" Under EFMLA & EPSL: Differences Not Addressed by the DOL

The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”) was signed into law on March 18, 2020, and took effect...

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DOL Has Revised Its "COVID-19" Poster

Posted on 03/30/2020 at 12:54 PM by Russell Samson

Categories: Employment & Labor Law, Russ Samson, Wage & Hour Watch

Tagged As: Coronavirus, COVID-19, Families First Coronavirus Response Act

DOL Has Revised Its "COVID-19" Poster

On March 25, 2020, we announced that the Wage and Hour Division of the DOL had issued the poster/notice required to be p...

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DOL Issues Posters & Other Materials Under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act

Posted on 03/25/2020 at 02:58 PM by Russell Samson

Categories: Business Law, Employment & Labor Law, Russ Samson, Wage & Hour Watch

Tagged As: Coronavirus, COVID-19, DOL Wage and Hour Division, Families First Coronavirus Response Act, Family Medical and Leave Act, paid family leave, paid sick leave, Russ Samson, U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division

DOL Issues Posters & Other Materials Under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act

On March 25, 2020, the Wage and Hour Division of the U.S. Department of Labor issued the poster/notice required to be po...

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Identification of Essential Critical Workforce During COVID-19 Response

Posted on 03/23/2020 at 09:05 AM by Russell Samson

Categories: Employment & Labor Law, Russ Samson

Tagged As: Coronavirus, COVID-19, Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency, essential critical infrastructure workers, U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Identification of Essential Critical Workforce During COVID-19 Response

On March 19, 2020, the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is...

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Employers: Avoid Ageist Assumptions and Confine Required Medical Exams to Parameters of ADA

Posted on 03/02/2020 at 11:36 AM by Russell Samson

Categories: Employment & Labor Law, Russ Samson

Tagged As: ADA, Americans with Disabilities Act, EEOC, employer policies and procedures, Hazen Paper Co. v. Biggins, Iowa Driver's License, Loras College v. Iowa Civil Rights Com'n, REAL ID, US Supreme Court

Employers: Avoid Ageist Assumptions and Confine Required Medical Exams to Parameters of ADA

Iowa driver’s licenses expire on the driver’s birthday, and are renewable for an eight-year period – u...

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