Employment Law This Week®: Pay Data Collection, Strengthening Worker Protections, NJ’s “Wage Theft” Legislation
New Jersey Employers Face Tougher Penalties for “Wage Theft” - Employment Law This Week® - Trending News
Key Takeaways - - Illinois recently concluded its legislative session, with many employment-related bills being sent to Governor JB Pritzker for possible enactment into law. - As of this publication, the governor has...more
The City of Philadelphia recently enacted the Protect Our Workers, Enforce Rights Act (“POWER Act”), which imposes a variety of new requirements for most employers operating within the City limits. The POWER Act extends...more
In a significant shift in labor law enforcement, states and localities across the United States are increasingly treating wage theft not merely as a civil infraction, but as a criminal offense. This trend in certain...more
On May 27, 2025, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker signed the Protect Our Workers, Enforce Rights Act (POWER Act). The ordinance, found here, aims to enhance protections related to paid sick leave, wage theft, and domestic...more
On May 27, 2025, Philadelphia enacted the Protect Our Workers, Enforce Rights Act (“POWER Act”), amending Title 9 of The Philadelphia Code as it pertains to the following sections: “Promoting Healthy Families and Workplaces,”...more
On June 9, 2025, Governor Tina Kotek signed SB 426 into law. The bill, set to become effective on January 1, 2026, follows the Oregon Legislature’s ongoing attempts to pass a “wage theft” bill imposing strict liability on...more
Last week, a Hennepin County judge sentenced an employer following a first-of-its-kind criminal conviction for wage theft in Minnesota. Since its enactment in 2019, Minnesota’s Wage Theft Prevention Act has imposed stringent...more
A recent federal jury verdict in Michigan has brought renewed attention to the compliance risks faced by employers that utilize the H-2A visa program, particularly when working with third-party labor contractors. On June 6,...more
On June 9, 2025, Oregon enacted Senate Bill 426, a significant new law aimed at protecting construction workers from wage theft by imposing strict joint and several liability on both property owners and direct contractors for...more
Philadelphia employers now face more investigations and stiffer punishment under a new law the mayor approved last week. The POWER Act, signed on May 27 and taking effect immediately, adds sweeping worker protections...more
On January 4, 2022, Labor Law §198-e – known as New York’s Wage Theft Law – went into effect. The Wage Theft Law, which applies to private construction projects, makes the prime/general contractor responsible for unpaid wages...more
On May 27, 2025, Mayor Cherelle Parker signed the Protect Our Workers, Enforce Rights (“POWER”) Act into law, which expands the Philadelphia Department of Labor’s enforcement options for violations of the City’s expanding...more
In Oregon, unpaid workers can sue their employers directly or file administrative complaints with the U.S. Department of Labor or its state counterpart, the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI). Workers often file...more
City Council Passes POWER Act, Mobile Service Provider Regulations -During Thursday’s meeting, the City Council passed the POWER Act—which empowers Philadelphia’s Department of Labor to enforce existing worker protection laws...more
Government agencies face significant challenges in managing prevailing wage labor compliance, certified payroll reports, and adhering to Davis-Bacon requirements. Strict regulations, frequent law changes, and the need for...more
Following the introduction of a similar reform in Australia in January, New Zealand has now criminalized intentional wage theft by employers. As “intentional wage theft” doesn’t come with a specific legal definition under the...more
Three months into the new legislative year, with all but a handful of state legislatures currently in session, several employment law trends for 2025 have emerged. Some of the more significant trends reflect the country’s...more
California lawmakers introduced numerous bills early in the 2025 legislative session that could affect California employment law in significant ways. Although it is too soon to predict which bills, if any, will advance, the...more
Developers, owners, and contractors would all be wise to take note of Senate Bill 426, currently under consideration in the Oregon legislature....more
On March 17, 2025, the New Jersey Supreme Court unanimously held in Musker v. Suuchi that commissions are included in the definition of “wages” under New Jersey’s Wage Payment Law (“WPL”). Wages under the WPL are defined as...more
Wage and hour claims—especially under California’s Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) and class action lawsuits—continue to rise at an alarming rate. With more PAGA notices filed than ever before and wage and hour class...more
Beginning January 1, 2025, the City of St. Paul, Minnesota’s Wage Theft Ordinance went into effect. The Ordinance largely incorporates the State of Minnesota’s existing wage theft legislation. However, similar to the...more
The tragic fires in Southern California have touched many lives and impacted many businesses operating in California. Here, we want to alert employers of a notice requirement to newly hired nonexempt employees who will be...more
In December 2024, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) fined a Minneapolis pizza restaurant for numerous wage and hour violations....more
Amid the ongoing Southern California wind and fire emergencies, California employers should keep in mind key emergency-related legal protections for employees and obligations placed on employers. Specifically, the Wage Theft...more