As we previously reported, certain Massachusetts employers will now be required to annually submit Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) reporting to the state. Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey signed the legislation into...more
2/3/2025
/ Compliance ,
EEO ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Employment Policies ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
New Legislation ,
Reporting Requirements ,
State Labor Laws
On December 17, 2021, the highest state court in Massachusetts held that an employer may not terminate an employee solely for exercising his right to file a rebuttal to be included in his personnel file....more
On December 13, 2021, the highest state court in Massachusetts ruled that the proper test for determining joint employer status under the state’s wage and overtime statutes is the “totality of the circumstances” test formerly...more
On December 13, 2021, the highest state court in Massachusetts ruled that the proper test for determining joint employer status under the state’s wage and overtime statutes is the “totality of the circumstances” test formerly...more
The Massachusetts Appeals Court, in a slip op opinion issued on January 20, 2021, decided that at-will employees can be terminated for submitting rebuttal letters pursuant to G.L.c. 149, §52C (“Section 52C”), and cannot avail...more
For Massachusetts employers, or employers with Massachusetts-based employees, Paid Family and Medical Leave (“PFML”) has been on the horizon for nearly two years. By now, you have notified your workforce about benefits and...more
The Massachusetts Department of Family and Medical Leave (“DFML”) has posted the much-anticipated final regulations regarding Massachusetts’ Paid Family and Medical Leave law (“PFML”). The final regulations come on the heels...more
On May 8, 2019, Massachusetts’ highest court held that retail salespersons who are paid entirely on a commission or draw basis, may nevertheless be entitled to additional overtime or pay for work on Sundays. The Supreme...more
5/13/2019
/ Employer Liability Issues ,
Exempt-Employees ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Federal v State Law Application ,
MA Supreme Judicial Court ,
Minimum Wage ,
Over-Time ,
Pay Rates ,
Retail Sales ,
Sales Commissions ,
Salespersons ,
State Labor Laws ,
Sunday Pay Laws ,
Wage and Hour
As the Department of Family and Medical Leave (“DFML”) prepares to issue final regulations in coming months, the Commonwealth has begun posting a number of documents to assist employers and workers prepare for the new Paid...more
Paid Family and Medical Leave is on its way to Massachusetts. In its latest update, the Commonwealth’s Department of Family and Medical Leave (“DFML”) published proposed regulations on March 29, 2019 for public comment. ...more
As has been long anticipated, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court recently gave a green light to plaintiffs’ attorneys seeking a fee award under the Commonwealth’s Payment of Wages Act, even where an action ends in...more
Massachusetts employers’ decision-making processes with regards to lateral, internal employee transfers are now subject to possible state law discrimination claims. On January 29, 2019, the SJC issued its decision in Yee v....more
1/31/2019
/ Adverse Action ,
Burden of Proof ,
Employee Transfers ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Lateral Transfers ,
MA Supreme Judicial Court ,
Materiality ,
Protected Class ,
Summary Judgment ,
Vacated
As the April 1, 2018 effective date of the Massachusetts Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (“MPWFA”) draws near, it is time to ensure that company policies and practices are in compliance with the new law. Within the last few...more
The Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General recently issued guidance on the new amendments to the Massachusetts Equal Pay Act (“MEPA”), effective July 1, 2018. Although the guidance is extremely detailed and should be...more
3/13/2018
/ Affirmative Defenses ,
Amended Legislation ,
Attorney General ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Equal Pay Act ,
Gender-Based Pay Discrimination ,
New Guidance ,
Salary/Wage History ,
Self-Evaluations ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
On January 29th, Massachusetts’ Supreme Judicial Court held that accrued, unused sick time does not count as wages under state employment law, as employment lawyers in Massachusetts had previously anticipated....more
In August 2017, Governor Charlie Baker signed into law, “An Act Further Regulating Employer Contributions to Health Care,” which became effective on January 1, 2018, and will remain on the books through the end of the 2019...more