There is great rejoicing among federal contractors since a federal judge in Texas has preliminarily blocked the "Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces" rules from going into effect. Absent the court's action, the rules would have taken effect for the largest contractors this past Tuesday, and for some smaller ones in 2017. The case is far from over, but this is a major interim victory for federal contractors. Cara Crotty, chair of our Affirmative Action/OFCCP Compliance Practice Group, has details about the court's decision and what it means in this Affirmative Action Alert.

The September-October edition of the Executive Labor Summary is out! David Phippen has it all: a summary of the class arbitration litigation piling up at the doorstep of the Supreme Court, a big attorneys' fee win against the National Labor Relations Board by our own Chuck Roberts and Cliff Nelson, the latest from Northwestern University, whose scholarship football players have been found to be "employees," and the already-famous Jim Beam whiskey walkout (now resolved, I'm happy to say).

And over at FOCUS, our women's leadership blog, Amy Beth Dambeck has a meditation on preparing for time away from work -- whether because of maternity leave, care of a sick or elderly family member, or just a sabbatical -- and how to transition smoothly back in.

Nothing but treats - not a "trick" in the bunch!