Labor Department Releases New Guidance on Agency Enforcement of PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act

Patricia Anderson Pryor is a principal and litigation manager of the Cincinnati, Ohio, and Louisville, Kentucky offices of Jackson Lewis P.C. She is an experienced litigator in both state and federal courts, representing and defending employers in nearly every form of employment litigation, including class actions. Patty is a core team member of the firm’s Disability, Leave & Health Management practice group. As a leader of the COVID-19 Taskforce, she has advised hundreds of companies across the country on everything from vaccine mandates, to remote work challenges, to safe return to work policies and practices. When she is not fighting COVID-19, Patty represents and advises employers in federal and state administrative proceedings, in all forms of dispute resolution, including mediation and arbitration, and in managing all aspects of the employment relationship. She has represented employers before the EEOC, the DOL, the DOJ, OSHA, the OFCCP, and the NLRB, in addition to various state agencies. Patty also works with employers to avoid litigation by developing effective policies and practices, including harassment policies, social media policies, FMLA practices, attendance programs, affirmative action programs and wellness plans. She is a co-leader of the firm’s National Advice and Counsel practice group. She conducts proactive wage and hour audits, harassment investigations and compensation/pay equity reviews. She is a frequent speaker at legal seminars and to employers and professional groups and provides training to managers and human resource professionals on a wide variety of employment and legal issues, including wage and hour issues, harassment, disability, the Family and Medical Leave Act, pay equity and affirmative action obligations. She has been featured on the radio program “Employment Straight Talk” and has published a number of employment law articles. While attending law school, Patty was a member of the editorial board of the University of Cincinnati Law Review.

Katharine C. Weber is a principal in the Cincinnati, Ohio, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. and co-leader of the firm's Disability, Leave and Health Management (DLHM) practice group. She has successfully assisted countless clients in handling their labor and employment issues in both Ohio and Kentucky. Katharine has experience litigating wrongful discharge cases; managing discrimination cases; negotiating collective bargaining agreements; representing employers before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and other federal, Ohio and Kentucky agencies; advising management on employment relations; drafting employee handbooks; and negotiating severance agreements. Katharine regularly advises clients on wage and hour issues. Over the past five years she has served as lead counsel on various wage and hour class and collective actions filed in both Ohio and Kentucky involving claims of misclassification, off the clock work, and other violations for which the plaintiffs claimed to be owed substantial overtime. Additionally, Katharine is extremely knowledgeable in the area of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Family and Medical Leave Act, and brings sophisticated, yet easy to understand advice on handling and defending against sexual harassment claims. From helping clients analyze options and making recommendations on how to handle employee relations issues, to representing clients in complex discrimination cases, Katharine always provides creative solutions and passionate advocacy for her clients. She is also very involved in the transportation industry and has successfully litigated several cutting-edge employment law cases which have been of great benefit to transportation industry employers. In addition to her counseling and litigation duties, Katharine frequently provides on-site training seminars for employers on how to formulate and enforce effective personnel policies to avoid and minimize employee lawsuits. She has presented seminars and mock trials involving labor and employment law at a host of local, state, and national conferences where she receives kudos for her engaging and entertaining presentations. Katharine has served numerous times as a guest faculty speaker for Denver University Sturm College of Law, lecturing on labor and employment law in the transportation industry. Katharine has appeared numerous times as a guest on the nationally syndicated radio talk show, “The Bill Cunningham Show,” and the Cincinnati radio talk show, “The Mike McConnell Show.” Katharine’s extensive knowledge and expertise in the areas of labor and employment law and transportation law have led to her publishing articles in the Kentucky Bench and Bar Magazine and the Kentucky Motor Transportation Association monthly newsletter and magazine.

Tara K. Burke is the knowledge management (“KM”) attorney for Jackson Lewis P.C.’s Disability, Leave & Health Management practice group, and is based in the in the Cincinnati, Ohio, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. She works with employers to build positive and inclusive workplaces and reduce legal risk through policy development, training, and employment law counseling. Tara provides practical and legal advice to clients on employment law issues including harassment and discrimination prevention, diversity and inclusion, hiring and interviewing, internal investigations, disability accommodation and leave management, reductions in force, individual separations and employee relations issues. Tara works with clients, including multi-state employers, to identify the trends in workplace law and stay in compliance with the rapidly changing state-by-state legal landscape. Tara helps clients of all sizes and in all industries, create, revise and implement workplace policies and procedures including employee handbooks. She also routinely conducts workplace training for leadership, human resources, managers and employees on numerous topics including strong management practices that reduce legal risk and build effective teams, preventing sexual harassment by supporting respectful and positive workplaces, achieving winning results through diversity and inclusion, conducting investigations, and employee accommodations and leaves of absence. Tara has defended employers in employment-related litigation and administrative proceedings. In addition to working with for-profit clients, Tara also works with non-profit clients, including small non-profits, to provide employment law expertise to non-profit organizations supporting our communities across the country. Tara is a frequent speaker for a variety of human resource, business leader, and legal audiences.