Photo of Fernanda Contreras

Fernanda Contreras

Subscribe to Fernanda Contreras's Posts

Fernanda Contreras is an Associate in Vedder Price’s Chicago office and a member of the firm’s Labor and Employment group.

Ms. Contreras specializes in labor and employment law, with a particular emphasis on workplace discrimination and wage and hour disputes. Her fluency in Spanish has proven invaluable in assisting with internal workplace investigations.  She has significant experience researching and analyzing issues relevant to discrimination, non-competes, severance arrangements, arbitration and union disputes.

Contact:Read more about Fernanda Contreras

The Supreme Court Rejects a Watered-Down Approach to Preliminary Injunctions

On June 13, 2024, the United States Supreme Court held that when considering the National Labor Relation Board’s (the “Board” or “NLRB”) request for a preliminary injunction under Section 10(j) of the National Labor Relations Act (the “NLRA”), district courts must apply the traditional four-factor test for injunctive relief rather than a less stringent two-factor test used by many courts in evaluating the Board’s injunction requests.  Starbucks Corp. v. McKinney, No. 23-367 (See here).Continue Reading Can I Please Get Four Shots of Espresso Instead of Two?

john-schnobrich-FlPc9_VocJ4-unsplash

On April 29, 2024, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (the “EEOC” or the “Commission”) published its “Enforcement Guidance on Harassment in the Workplace” (the “Guidance”), which is the first harassment guidance issued by the EEOC since 1999.  (See here.)  Harassment claims continue to be prevalent in the workplace.  During the five fiscal…

On April 12, 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court, in a unanimous decision, held that transportation workers need not work in the transportation industry to be exempt from coverage under section 1 of the Federal Arbitration Act (“FAA”).  Bissonnette, et al. v. LePage Bakeries Park St., LLC, et al., No. 23-51.  (See here.)  The Court found the determining factor to be the nature of the employee’s work for the company, not what the company does generally.  Continue Reading Delivering the Goods:  The Exemption from Arbitration Focuses on the Worker, Not the Industry