The Department of Labor (DOL) announced a series of new guidance and compliance initiatives. The Employment and Training Administration (ETA) issued a new five-component framework for effective pre-apprenticeship programs, replacing its 2024 guidance and emphasizing connections between pre-apprenticeships and Registered Apprenticeship programs. ETA also issued guidance explaining how Registered Apprenticeship sponsors can partner with eligible educational institutions to access newly available Workforce Pell Grants.
The Employee Benefits Security Administration published a field assistance bulletin outlining guiding principles for its enforcement of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, with an emphasis on directing enforcement resources toward areas with the greatest impact on access to mental health and substance use disorder benefits.
The Office of Labor-Management Standards issued an advisory opinion addressing whether a newly formed union’s initial officer-selection process is subject to the election protections and requirements of Title IV of the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act.
The Wage and Hour Division issued an opinion letter concluding that a 60-miunte unpaid meal period remains non-compensable when employees spend six to 14 minutes walking to and from an employer-designated break area, because the remaining 46 to 54 minutes provides sufficient time for a bona fide meal period under the FLSA.