This spring has been a busy one for agency workers in the employment law space. 

The U.S. Department of Labor’s independent contractor rule, which took effect in March, is an attempt to level the playing field for workers and root out misclassification, Acting Secretary Julie Su has said. A new fiduciary final rule, announced April 23, updates the definition of investment advice fiduciary in an effort to protect those saving for retirement. And the agency released new overtime threshold numbers through a staggered approach, which employers are scrambling to prepare for before the July 1 effective date. 

Over at the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, newly released pregnancy accommodation guidance and harassment guidance lay out some expectations for employers on two major culture war issues — abortion and gender identity. Two cohorts of red states, both led by Tennessee, have challenged both efforts.

The Federal Trade Commission, meanwhile, has barred most noncompete agreements, and the National Labor Relations Board is looking to advance a new joint employer definition. While the latter rule was vacated by a judge in March, NLRB isn’t done with the fight. 

The fate of each change remains in question, with legal challenges facing nearly every one — a trend HR Dive is keeping a close eye on. Read on below to catch up on the recent efforts.