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Employee Rights Employment Policies State Labor Laws

Most countries provide some degree of workplace protection for employees and job applicants. Depending on the jurisdiction, these protections generally include safety precautions and policies, anti-discrimination... more +
Most countries provide some degree of workplace protection for employees and job applicants. Depending on the jurisdiction, these protections generally include safety precautions and policies, anti-discrimination policies, collective bargaining and unionizing rights, meal and rest requirements, minimum wage rules, and medical and family leave rights to name a few. In the United States, the federal framework for employee rights stem from statutes such as the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, and the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA). In addition, employee rights statutes are implemented and enforced by regulatory authorities such as the EEOC, NLRB, OSHA, and the Department of Labor. Further, many state and local governments provide additional and localized protections for employees that are enforced by local regulatory entities. less -
FordHarrison

Illinois Enacts New Neonatal Intensive Care Leave Act

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On August 15, 2025, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed into law the Neonatal Intensive Care Leave Act (NICLA). NICLA will require employers with 16 or more employees to provide certain amounts of unpaid leave (depending...more

Morgan Lewis

Illinois Workplace Transparency Act: Amendments Expand Limitations & Employee Protections Regarding Certain Contract Provisions

Morgan Lewis on

New amendments to the Illinois Workplace Transparency Act expand employee and consultant/contractor protections, including prohibitions on various “unilateral” contract provisions imposed as a condition of employment and...more

DLA Piper

Puerto Rico Establishes Framework for Workplace Lactation Rights

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Puerto Rico recently enacted a Breastfeeding Code (Act 87-2025), consolidating all prior lactation-related laws into a single, comprehensive statute. The law establishes uniform protections and obligations across both the...more

Bond Schoeneck & King PLLC

End of an Era: New York’s COVID-19 Paid Sick Leave Has Ended

After more than five years, New York State’s pioneering COVID-19 paid sick leave law officially came to an end on July 31, 2025....more

FordHarrison

2025 Amendments to Illinois Human Rights Act: Fact Finding Conferences No Longer Mandatory; Employers to Face New Civil Penalties

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On August 15, 2025, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed into law two important changes to the Illinois Human Rights Act (IHRA) found in SB2487.  Fact Finding Conferences No Longer Mandatory or Automatic...more

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,...

Maine Law Requires Employee Compensation When Employers Cancel or Shorten Shifts

On June 24, 2025, Maine enacted a new law requiring employers to compensate employees who report to their scheduled shifts but have their hours reduced or cancelled by their employer. This law will primarily impact businesses...more

Foley & Lardner LLP

Washington State Expands Paid Sick Leave Law To Include Coverage for Immigration Proceedings and Hate Crime Victims

Foley & Lardner LLP on

As we have previously discussed, state paid sick leave laws continue expanding. In 2025, states which previously had no sick leave requirements (Nebraska and Alaska) will now require employers to provide employees with paid...more

Jackson Lewis P.C.

Rhode Island First in Nation to Require Accommodation of Employee’s Menopause, Effective Immediately

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Rhode Island is the first state to expressly require employers to provide workplace accommodations for job applicants and employees who are experiencing menopause and menopause-related medical conditions. This requirement...more

Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP

Rhode Island's New Menopause Accommodation Law: Key Employer Insights

On June 24, 2025, Rhode Island became the first state to require reasonable accommodation for menopause-related conditions. The Rhode Island legislature amended the state’s Fair Employment Practices Act’s requirement that...more

Hinckley Allen

New Hampshire Employers Must Offer Unpaid Childbirth Leave Beginning in 2026

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Beginning on January 1, 2026, New Hampshire employers with at least 20 employees are required by law to provide employees with up to 25 hours of unpaid leave to attend postpartum and pediatric healthcare visits after the...more

Jackson Lewis P.C.

The Latest Changes to Minnesota’s Earned Sick and Safe Time Statute

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On June 14th, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz signed into law, S.F. No. 17, which once again included amendments to Minnesota’s Earned Sick and Safe Time (ESST) law that went into effect in January 2024....more

Jackson Lewis P.C.

New Hampshire’s Unpaid Childbirth-Related Leave Law Goes Into Effect 2026

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Effective Jan. 1, 2026, Granite State employers with at least 20 employees must provide employees with up to 25 hours of unpaid leave to attend medical appointments associated with childbirth, postpartum care, and their...more

Fisher Phillips

Rhode Island’s New Workplace Laws: Menopause Protections, “Captive Audience” Meeting Ban, Minimum Wage Hikes, and More

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Rhode Island employers must keep up with new workplace laws enacted this year, including some that have already taken effect. The state not only joined a growing number of states that prohibit so-called “captive audience”...more

Polsinelli

Washington’s Mini-WARN Act Goes Into Effect

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What You Need to Know: Washington’s new mini-WARN Act applies to smaller employers with 50 or more full-time employees unlike the federal WARN Act which only applies to employers with 100 or more employees....more

Foster Garvey PC

2025 Legislative Developments Affecting Washington Employers

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Washington employers face a wave of new workplace legislation, some of which recently became effective and some that will begin in 2026 and beyond. These new or modified laws address a broad range of topics, many of which...more

Jackson Lewis P.C.

Iowa Amends Drug Testing Statute, Relieves Some Employer Burdens

Jackson Lewis P.C. on

The Iowa drug testing statute (Iowa Code § 730.5) became more employer friendly effective July 1, 2025. Although the Iowa drug testing law remains one of the most technically challenging in the country, the changes will make...more

Amundsen Davis LLC

National State Employment Law Update Covering the First Six Months of 2025

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2025 is halfway over, and already, there has been significant activity and legal developments throughout the U.S. on the state and local level.  Below is a recap of notable laws enacted throughout the U.S. that have become...more

Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP

Indiana Mandates Employee Leave for School Meetings

Effective July 1, 2025, Indiana generally requires all employers provide unpaid leave for employees to attend school conferences and meetings for their children. Employers are prohibited from taking adverse action against an...more

Jackson Lewis P.C.

California Construction Employers May Rely On Legal Exemption To Drug Test for Marijuana

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California’s AB 2188 greatly expanded the scope of the state’s existing marijuana laws because it prohibits discrimination based on the off-duty use of marijuana. This prohibition creates a dilemma for employers who conduct...more

Tannenbaum Helpern Syracuse & Hirschtritt LLP

NYC Amends Rules to Address Paid Prenatal Leave

The New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) recently amended its Earned Safe and Sick Time Act rules to incorporate the paid prenatal leave requirements of the New York Labor Law. DCWP’s amended...more

Vedder Price

New York City’s Earned Safe and Sick Time Act Is Amended to Include Paid Prenatal Leave

Vedder Price on

Since January 1, 2025, New York State’s Paid Prenatal Leave Law has required that all private-sector employers provide employees with 20 hours of paid leave for health care appointments related to prenatal care or pregnancy. ...more

Amundsen Davis LLC

Employee Non-Competes: Where We Stand Today

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A little less than a year ago, businesses were scrambling to get ready for the then-impending Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) final rule that would have blocked nearly all non-compete agreements between employers and...more

Arnall Golden Gregory LLP

Non-Compete Compliance in 2025: State Trends and Employer Strategies

In this episode, AGG Employment attorneys Megan Mitchell, Rick Mitchell, and Lindsey Locke discuss the current state of non-compete agreements and what employers should keep in mind when using them. While the FTC’s proposed...more

Littler

New York Legislature Passes “Trapped at Work Act” Proposing to Restrict Employment Promissory Notes

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In a significant development for employers across the Empire State, the New York Legislature passed Assembly Bill A584B/S4070B in the final days of the 2025 session. This bill is known as the “Trapped at Work Act” and would...more

Miller Nash LLP

Washington Employers: Does That Job Really Require a Valid Driver's License?

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Effective July 27, 2025, employers will have to carefully consider whether they should require that employees have a valid driver’s license as a condition of employment. In 2019, Washington State enacted the Equal Protection...more

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