In a 5-4 decision yesterday, the Supreme Court ruled that the federal government can enforce a final rule mandating health care workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19 while cases challenging the mandate are being appealed....more
1/14/2022
/ Biden Administration ,
Biden v Missouri ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Health and Safety ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Infectious Diseases ,
SCOTUS ,
Stays ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
The much-anticipated OSHA Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (“OSHA”) COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing Emergency Temporary Standard (“ETS”) posted this morning, November 4, 2021, for public inspection. The ETS...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: The Department of Family and Medical Leave (Department) has opened applications for Paid Family Medical Leave (PFML) benefits related to family bonding leave for children born, adopted, or placed for foster...more
On Friday, July 24, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker issued an Executive Order announcing a $500 daily civil fine, effective August 1, for individuals traveling into the Commonwealth who fail to comply with the State’s...more
7/28/2020
/ Business Travel ,
Civil Monetary Penalty ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Executive Orders ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Public Health ,
Quarantine ,
State and Local Government ,
Travel Restrictions ,
Traveling Employee
Last week, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker announced an updated Executive Order imposing restrictions on travelers to the Commonwealth, effective August 1. ...more
Across the nation, states have been stepping up to minimize legal risks to health care workers as they continue the fight against the global COVID-19 pandemic. Massachusetts became the most recent state to take steps to...more
4/21/2020
/ Employee Benefits ,
Employee Contributions ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Governor Baker ,
Healthcare Facilities ,
Medical Leave ,
Minimum Wage ,
New Legislation ,
Paid Family Leave Law ,
Paid Leave ,
Rate of Pay ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
Among the most common types of wage and hour lawsuits in Massachusetts are independent contractor misclassification suits. These actions arise when an individual who provides a service claims that: (1) he or she was...more
Even fair-minded employers, with sound policies, face “off-the-clock” claims. That is, employers have to defend against lawsuits in which employees argue that they worked hours for which their employers failed to pay them. ...more
Effective July 1, 2018, the Massachusetts Equal Pay Act (the “Act”) requires employers to pay employees of different genders equal wages for comparable work unless the difference in pay is explained by the Act’s enumerated...more
Tip #1: Consider An Arbitration Agreement—With A Class Action Waiver -
Until recently, there has been much debate about the enforceability of arbitration agreements containing class action waivers. Courts disagreed as to...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of the Surgeon General, has just released a Report on “Facing Addiction in America: The Surgeon General’s Spotlight on Opioids,” (Washington,...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: A recent decision by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, part of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, reaffirmed a growing circuit split regarding whether Title VII of the Civil Rights...more
3/27/2018
/ Civil Rights Act ,
Educational Institutions ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
Hospitals ,
Medical Residents ,
Motion to Dismiss ,
Preemption ,
Retaliation ,
Sexual Harassment ,
Title IX ,
Title VII ,
Universities
Seyfarth Synopsis: At a time when the Massachusetts meal break landscape is increasingly friendly to employees, a federal judge in the state recently denied class certification in a meal break case, Romulus, et al. v. CVS...more