Employment in the Hospitality Industry: Key Federal and State Law Developments; Compliance Challenges for Employers

Mr. Buchanan counsels employers on immigration compliance issues, conducts internal I-9 audits, represents employers in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) inspections and audits, Immigrant and Employee Rights (IER)/Department of Justice investigations, E-Verify issues, and employment-based visas. Also, he practices labor law where he represents employers before National Labor Relations Board and U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage & Hour Division and in collective bargaining. Before focusing on immigration, Mr. Buchanan served as senior trial specialist for the NLRB for 20 years, counseled clients on union-filed representation petitions, represented employers in collective bargaining, and advised on wage and hour and Family and Medical Leave Act matters. In addition to his legal practice, he regularly writes and speaks on immigration compliance and labor law issues for employers and served as Adjunct Professor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law for 10+ years. Among Mr. Buchanan's many publications, he co-authored the book, I-9 and E-Verify Handbook, 2017 and 2024 editions, and was an editor of the Employer Sanctions of Kurzban's Immigration Law Sourcebook, 2024 edition. Mr. Buchanan was a longtime member of the Verification and Documentation Liaison Committee of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA).

Prof. Sherwyn is the John and Melissa Ceriale Professor of Hospitality Human Resources and a professor of law at Cornell Peter and Stephanie Nolan School of Hotel Administration. He is also the academic director of the Cornell Center for Innovative Hospitality Labor and Employment Relations and a research fellow at the Center for Labor and Employment Law at New York University’s School of Law. In addition, Prof. Sherwyn is of counsel to the law firm of Stokes & Wagner. He teaches Business and Hospitality Law and Employment Discrimination Law and Union Management Relations and Labor Relations in the Hospitality Industry. In 2002, Prof. Sherwyn conceived of, organized, and hosted the Center for Hospitality Research’s (CHR) first Hospitality Industry Roundtable, and since that time, he has hosted more than 20 roundtables. Prof. Sherwyn has published articles in the Arizona State Law Review, Berkeley Journal of Labor and Employment Law, the Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, Fordham Law Review, University of California Hastings Law Journal, Indiana Law Journal, Northwestern Law Review, Stanford Law Review, and the University of Pennsylvania Labor and Employment Law Journal. His research interests include arbitration of discrimination lawsuits and union-management relations.

Ms. Yeager maintains a vibrant labor and employment practice litigating and consulting on behalf of management regarding a variety of employment topics. She defends employers against labor and employment law claims, including helping federal contractors with compliance efforts. Ms. Yeager has prepared hundreds of AAPs and led dozens of audits, including both desk and on-site audits. She has worked with both public and private companies, including smaller operations and multi-state employers. Ms. Yeager routinely advises and consults with clients about human resource policies and procedures. She provides management training on various employment-related topics, from anti-harassment to union avoidance. She also maintains an active traditional labor practice representing clients, both unionized and non-unionized, before the National Labor Relations Board.