In 2024, we witnessed a wave of transformative changes in employment laws, from expanded leave protections and new paid leave mandates to increased pay transparency requirements for employers....more
2/11/2025
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Bias ,
Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Hairstyle Discrimination ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Minimum Wage ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Pay Transparency ,
State Labor Laws
On August 20, 2024, the federal U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas set aside the FTC’s rule (Rule) banning non-competes. The Rule was set to take effect on September 4, 2024....more
As we previously reported, on April 23, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) adopted a final rule banning post-employment noncompete agreements nationwide, with limited exceptions related to the sale of a business and any...more
8/5/2024
/ Compliance ,
Employment Contract ,
Federal Bans ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Final Rules ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Notice Requirements ,
Pending Litigation ,
Popular ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
Unfair Competition
On April 23, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) voted 3-2 to adopt a final rule broadly banning post-employment noncompete agreements. This federal ban prohibits for-profit employers from entering into noncompete...more
4/29/2024
/ Chamber of Commerce ,
Corporate Executives ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Exceptions ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Final Rules ,
Former Employee ,
Model Forms ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Notice Requirements ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
Unfair Competition
2023 was a seismic year for the employment landscape, with changes to state and federal laws that touch on hiring, firing, and just about everything in between. Members of Fenwick’s employment group recently walked through...more
2/1/2024
/ Arbitration Agreements ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
California ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Independent Contractors ,
Joint Employers ,
Labor Reform ,
New Legislation ,
New York ,
NLRB ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Paid Leave ,
Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) ,
State Labor Laws ,
Technology ,
Wage and Hour
On December 22, 2023, Governor Kathy Hochul vetoed legislation passed by New York lawmakers this past summer, which sought to ban nearly all non-competition agreements state-wide (as previously reported here). In a memo...more
1/10/2024
/ Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Governor Vetoes ,
Legislative Agendas ,
New York ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
State and Local Government ,
State Bans ,
State Labor Laws ,
State Legislatures ,
Wage and Hour
On September 1, 2023, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law SB 699, which amends California Business & Professions Code Section 16600 to prohibit employers from entering into, or attempting to enforce,...more
The New York State Senate and New York State Assembly recently passed legislation (Bill S3100A and Bill A1278A) that would prohibit the use of non-competition agreements entirely. If the legislation is signed into law by...more
On January 5, 2023, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced its long-anticipated proposed rule, which if adopted, would essentially ban all noncompete agreements between employers and their workers that restrict such...more
New ARPA/COBRA Subsidy -
The federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) provides for a 100% subsidy of COBRA premiums for six months from April 1, 2021 through September 30, 2021, for individuals (and their covered...more
4/1/2021
/ American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 ,
Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
Biden Administration ,
COBRA ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Covered Employees ,
Covered Employer ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Employer Mandates ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Governor Cuomo ,
Governor Newsom ,
Health Insurance ,
New Guidance ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Notice Requirements ,
Paid Sick Leave ,
Premium Subsidies ,
Relief Measures ,
State and Local Government ,
Tax Credits ,
Vaccinations
California Significantly Expands Family Rights Act -
California Governor Gavin Newsom recently signed into law SB 1383, which significantly expands the coverage and scope of the California Family Rights Act (CFRA). CFRA,...more
10/21/2020
/ California Family Rights Act (CFRA) ,
Classification ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Diversity ,
Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I) ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Equity ,
Executive Orders ,
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Governor Newsom ,
Independent Contractors ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Parental Leave ,
Pay Data ,
Proposed Rules ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Sick Leave ,
Small Business ,
Training ,
Trump Administration ,
Workplace Outbreaks