Attorney Details
Donald J. Vogel
Practice Concentration
Mr. Vogel's practice focuses on labor and employment issues in the transportation industry and general business counseling.
Profile
Donald J. Vogel is a partner who represents management and individuals in the defense of Title VII, ERISA, Multi-Employer Pension Plan Amendment Act claims, and related employment/wrongful discharge/ discrimination claims in state and federal courts. He frequently counsels clients on their rights and responsibilities under labor and employment contracts, offers advice on various business issues, and has represented numerous clients in cases before the Illinois Department of Human Rights, State and Federal Departments of Labor, Equal Employment Opportunity Council, National Labor Relations Board, and arbitration cases before mandatory State Court Mediation Panels, the American Arbitration Association and the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service. He also handles corporate and commercial litigation involving insurance, land trusts, real estate, contracts, secured transactions, sales, leasing and related commercial issues. Mr. Vogel is a Past President of the Transportation Lawyers Association and is a recipient of the TLA's Distinguished Service Award. He is a frequent author of papers and lectures on issues involving the Americans With Disabilities Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, ERISA withdrawal liability, independent contractor issues, and other employment and labor-related topics. Mr. Vogel is AV Peer Review Rated, Martindale-Hubbell’s highest peer recognition for ethical standards and legal ability, and recognized as a “Top Rated Lawyer in Transportation” by Martindale-Hubbell™ and American Lawyer Media. He has also been selected as one of the top Illinois lawyers in the Illinois Super Lawyers Peer Survey Selection.
On The Road
- Latest Trends in Labor Campaigns Panel "New Frontiers in Labor and Employment Law for the Transportation Industry"
Sep 18, 2017, Donald J. Vogel, Annual North American Transportation Employee Relations Association (NATERA) Conference - Houston, TX
Publications
- Scopelitis Labor & Employment News: August 2021: COVID-19 Vaccinations and Return to Work Policies – What are Employers Permitted to Do?
Employers are transitioning employees back to in-person work, which means making decisions regarding workplace expectations related to the COVID-19 vaccination.
- Scopelitis in the News: "Biometric Privacy: Illinois Regulations Result in a Flurry of Lawsuits." February 2021. Transportation Lawyers Association's TLA TTL Magazine.The transportation industry is one in which technology is continually being used to improve efficiencies. Employers and vendors in the industry are using technology such as smart phone apps and electronic logging devices, and/or other operational and security devices, that may require, or will eventually require, collection, use and retention of biometric identifiers and use of same. Like most industries, transportation entities will be faced with important questions concerning privacy and legal requirements when it comes to biometric identifiers.
- Scopelitis Labor & Employment News: October 2020The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), passed in the early days of the pandemic, required employers to provide paid sick leave for, among other reasons, employees who needed to stay home to care for a child whose school or place of care closed due to COVID-19. With school closings on the rise again and positive tests causing portions of classes to stay home to quarantine, employers need to prepare for a second wave of leave requests – which may come from employees who have already exhausted their paid leave rights under FFCRA.
- Labor & Employment News: August 2020The NLRB’s Active 2020
- Labor & Employment News: May 2020Return-to-Work Considerations
- Scopelitis L & E News: November 2019The Scopelitis Labor & Employment team on making sure your company's fitness/agility tests are legal.
- Scopelitis L & E News: October 2019Scopelitis' Labor & Employment practice on the growing marijuana trend increases employer uncertainty in drug testing and discipline.
- Law Alert: U.S. DOL Issues Final Rule Raising Overtime Exemption Salary Threshold to $35,568Scopelitis on the U.S. DOL’s final regulation on workers’ overtime-exempt status.
- Scopelitis L & E News: August 2019Scopelitis Labor & Employment Practice on action employers should take regarding the DOL opinion letter on sleeper berth time.
- Scopelitis L & E News: July 2019Scopelitis' Labor & Employment Practice on paid leave laws creating tension for transportation industry employers.
- Scopelitis L & E News: May 2019Scopelitis' Labor & Employment Practice on its Sexual Harassment Prevention Training offering
- Scopelitis L & E News: March 2019, Part 2Scopelitis' Labor & Employment Practice with an update on EEO-1 Reporting
- Scopelitis L & E News: March 2019, Part 1Scopelitis Labor & Employment Practice with a note on steering clear of National Labor Relations Act problems
- Scopelitis L & E News: February 2019Scopelitis' Labor & Employment team on attacks on the exempt status of the freight broker position
- Law Alert: NLRB Re-Focuses Its Independent Contractor TestMore on The National Labor Relations Board determination that van drivers franchised with SuperShuttle DFW, Inc., were properly classified as independent contractors rather than employees. Ion organizing or other concerted activity exists.
- Transportation Brief: Beware Your State Minimum Wage Increases for 2019With a new year inevitably comes new laws. Many of these laws affect employee compensation, expense reimbursement, and a whole host of other benefits and employment issues. Read more from our attorneys.
- Scopelitis L & E News: December 27, 2018Scopelitis' Labor & Employment Practice on Illinois recently becoming the ninth state or district to mandate reimbursement of an employee’s expenses
- Scopelitis L & E News: December 6, 2018From Scopelitis' Labor & Employment Practice on the overtime salary threshold of $23,660 that has been under review by the Department of Labor (“DOL”) since 2016 - still on hold
- Scopelitis L & E News: November 2018Scopelitis' Labor & Employment Practice on OSHA, who has recently provided guidance for safety-minded companies in the form of advice as well as citations issued
- Scopelitis L & E News: October 2018Scopelitis' Labor & Employment Practice on whether or not employer has a legal obligation to allow an employee to bring an animal into the workplace.
- Law Alert: NLRB Invites Comments On Employee Access to Employer Email for Union Organizing PurposesRead insights from Scopelitis on a notice issued by the NLRB on August 1st regarding invites to file briefs on whether the Board should adhere to, modify, or overrule Purple Communications, Inc., 361 NLRB 1050 (2014).
- Scopelitis in the News: Scopelitis Partner Don Vogel Receives TLA Lifetime Achievement AwardTransportation Lawyers Association bestowed its 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award on Don Vogel, a partner in Scopelitis' Chicago office.
- Law Alert: ALJ Finds Misclassifying Independent Contractor Drivers Violates the NLRARead Scopelitis' take on the ALJ decision.
- Scopelitis in the News: "Ballot Scribbles May Change Outcome of Union Election." June 20 2017, Bloomberg BNAScopelitis Partner Donald Vogel on the Hanson Cold Storage Co. v. NLRB , 2017 BL 210293, 7th Cir., No. 16-3617, 6/20/17, the decision shows that irregular markings on a single ballot can change the result of a close contest over union representation.