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t is starting to seem, from our perspective, that either employers have not been made sufficiently aware of the leave entitled to workers under the FFCRA or that they are willing to risk a lawsuit for wrongful termination.

The clock has essentially wound down on extending assistance for the 30+ million Americans currently on the unemployment rolls. White House officials and Congressional Democrats remain miles apart, with the latter rejecting a temporary extension of the benefits. There are also huge question marks over issues we focus on, particularly child care and employment law, both of which were in the news this week and are the subject of several of the stories we feature

Earlier this week, Senate GOP leadership introduced their $1 trillion opening response to the $3 trillion Congressional HEROES Act, originally proposed in May. As we have noted, the signal demand coming from Mitch McConnell’s office is liability protection (the “L” in HEALS) for businesses and health care organizations. Translated, McConnell wants to prevent workers from suing employers if they contract coronavirus at work. And the GOP appears firm that without consensus on this issue, there will be no new stimulus.

Four cases came across the wire this week and we have chosen to highlight them all. One case is the first class action lawsuit filed under the FFCRA and concerns potentially millions of people seeking SNAP aid. The three other suits that were filed this week follow a familiar line for anyone who has been reading our updates. People are getting sick or have family members getting sick and are then denied their right to paid leave and are terminated.

This week marks a significant juncture for the US as Pandemic Unemployment Assistance is scheduled to end next week, schools are considering how to safely serve students, and workplaces continue to grapple with safety concerns.

By now, the fact that childcare is in crisis is not new. But as the weeks creep by it is crystallizing as one of the signal problems of the pandemic lockdowns. Without childcare, which includes open K-12 schools, parents, child care workers, day care providers, and a host of others have been deeply affected. As Congress prepares to reconvene and wrangle over a new set of stimulus payments, a boost to the childcare industry is front and center.

The three cases highlighted in this weeks’ FFCRA complaint roundup include two filed by plaintiffs working in restaurants and another from a plaintiff employed in food distribution. Because the entire food supply chain has been deemed essential, workers in the industry have little ability to leave work to care for sick family members or children since the childcare industry cratered.

This week includes updates on the latest roadblocks at another round of stimulus, which remains necessary as more than 30 million Americans remain out of work, officially, and countless more are shut out of the social welfare programs offered in the US. We also highlight school re-openings and general Covid risk analysis.

Taking a break from the wall-to-wall imperative that is coronavirus, we wanted to highlight a new study about workplace cultures in the legal practice. Conducted by the Women Lawyers on Guard, the study Still Broken: Sexual Harassment and Misconduct in the Legal Profession shows that sexual harassment plagues women at all levels of the legal profession, from early-career lawyers to judges, and everyone in between.

Berke-Weiss Law answers some questions on many New Yorkers’ minds right now in Law360: can I be fired for protesting or posting about politics on social media? Am I entitled to take time off to protest? Can my employer force me to take a Covid-19 test after protesting but before returning to my workplace?

As we edge into the dog days of summer, we’re also creeping toward fall classes, and the only thing people are sure of is they’re not sure about sending their kids back to school. And in the backdrop of massive virus spikes in the South and West, come renewed calls to make a decision on whether schools should open in the fall.