Important updates to the Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave law (“MA PFML”) are going into effect January 1, 2023. Employers should take steps now to ensure that their payroll systems reflect the revised contribution...more
On October 19, 2022, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) released an updated “Know Your Rights” poster, which replaces the previous “EEO is the Law” poster. The EEOC’s website lists several versions of the...more
On October 13, 2022, the United States Department of Labor (DOL) published a proposed rule that seeks to alter the test for determining whether a worker is an independent contractor or an employee under the federal Fair Labor...more
On September 6, 2022, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) regarding the standard for determining joint-employer status under the National Labor Relations Act...more
9/14/2022
/ Collective Bargaining ,
Comment Period ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Joint Employers ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) ,
Proposed Rules ,
Public Comment ,
Unfair Labor Practices ,
Unions
Welcome news for U.S. employers—the federal government has issued new proposed rules that may lead to further temporary or permanent changes to the I-9 verification process. As set forth in the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking...more
The 2022 Regular Session of the Connecticut General Assembly produced several laws governing the private employment sector. This article summarizes the major points of those laws....more
8/24/2022
/ Connecticut ,
Contractors ,
Domestic Violence ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Essential Workers ,
Fair Employment Practices Act ,
Family Medical Leave ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Holidays ,
Home Health Agencies ,
Leave of Absence ,
New Legislation ,
Paid Leave ,
Prevailing Wages ,
Private Sector ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
State Labor Laws ,
Subcontractors ,
Undue Hardship ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Communication
On July 26, 2022, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker signed into law House Bill 4554 – commonly referred to as the Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair (“CROWN”) Act – which bans discrimination based on natural...more
On June 28, 2022, Rhode Island enacted new “tip protection” legislation. The law, which applies to all employers of tipped employees, prohibits employers from retaining employee tips, creates new requirements for tip pools,...more
On July 12, 2022, the EEOC issued updated COVID-19 guidance to employers (the “Guidance”). This Guidance, in the form of updated Questions and Answers, addresses various COVID-19 workplace issues, including screening,...more
While the Connecticut Paid Leave Act (“CTPL”) and expanded Connecticut Family and Medical Leave Act (“CTFMLA”) went into effect January 1, 2022, the notice requirements of both statutes have an effective date of July 1, 2022....more
THE LEGALIZATION OF MARIJUANA IN RHODE ISLAND: WHAT EMPLOYERS NEED TO KNOW -
On May 26th, Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee signed legislation legalizing recreational marijuana use for adults 21 years of age and older,...more
MASSACHUSETTS SUPREME JUDICIAL COURT RULING – GOOD NEWS FOR EMPLOYERS -
It has been a busy Spring for the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC). On April 14, 2022, on the heels of Reuter v. City of Methuen (see our...more
5/9/2022
/ Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
MA Supreme Judicial Court ,
Over-Time ,
Preemption ,
Treble Damages ,
Unpaid Overtime ,
Unpaid Wages ,
Wage Act ,
Wage and Hour
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) recently released guidance addressing retaliation against employees who assert workplace rights under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), as well as...more
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently announced an end to its COVID-19 Temporary Policy for List B Identity Documents (Temporary Policy). Under the Temporary Policy, for purposes of I-9 completion, DHS permitted...more
The EEOC recently issued guidance regarding COVID-19 caregiver discrimination. This guidance reiterates previously-issued guidance (Enforcement Guidance: Unlawful Disparate Treatment of Workers with Caregiving...more
3/25/2022
/ Age Discrimination ,
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Anti-Harassment Policies ,
Anti-Retaliation Provisions ,
Caregivers ,
Civil Rights Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Disability Discrimination ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
National Origin Discrimination ,
New Guidance ,
Pregnancy ,
Protected Class ,
Race Discrimination ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Title VII
The EEOC recently issued updated guidance regarding religious objections to COVID-19 vaccination requirements. This updated guidance, in the form of FAQs, addresses the circumstances under which employers may need to provide...more
On February 28, 2022, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts announced that its COVID-19 Emergency Paid Sick Leave (“MEPSL”) law will come to an end, effective March 15, 2022.
Until that time, employers must still comply with...more
On January 26, 2022, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) announced that it is withdrawing the emergency temporary standard that required employers with 100 or more employees to mandate COVID-19...more
OSHA’S COVID-19 VACCINATION AND TESTING EMERGENCY TEMPORARY STANDARD -
Thursday, the United States Supreme Court issued an emergency stay of the Biden Administration’s COVID-19 vaccination and testing and masking...more
1/17/2022
/ Biden Administration ,
Biden v Missouri ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Mandates ,
Healthcare Facilities ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Lack of Authority ,
Masks ,
National Federation of Independent Business v Department of Labor and OSHA ,
OSHA ,
SCOTUS ,
Stays ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT HEARING SCHEDULED FOR JANUARY 7, 2022 -
As detailed in our prior alert, following the revival of the Biden Administration’s COVID-19 vaccination and testing and masking requirement for...more
1/4/2022
/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employment Policies ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Masks ,
New Guidance ,
OSHA ,
Quarantine ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
Join us (virtually) for the 13th Annual Law Update, where we’ll review 2021 hot topics in employment law and look ahead to 2022. The two programs will cover different topics so please sign up for both, if...more
12/23/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Employment Policies ,
Human Resources Professionals ,
Medical Leave ,
Mental Health ,
Paid Family Leave Law ,
Paid Sick Leave ,
Paid Time Off (PTO) ,
State Labor Laws ,
Vaccinations ,
Wage and Hour ,
Webinars
On December 17, 2021, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit revived OSHA’s Emergency Temporary Standard (“ETS”) mandating COVID-19 vaccination or testing and masking for employers with 100 or more...more
Many Massachusetts employers currently have COVID-19 vaccination policies that permit employees to elect whether to get vaccinated or, alternatively, to wear face coverings and get weekly COVID-19 tests. An open question has...more
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued new guidance on Tuesday, December 14th, clarifying under what circumstances COVID-19 may be considered a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act...more
On December 7, 2021, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia issued a nationwide injunction temporarily barring the federal government from enforcing the Biden Administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate...more