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
On July 30, 2025, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law a bill (Senate Bill 648) that authorizes the state’s labor commissioner to investigate tip theft and levy fines for violations. The new law is particularly...more
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
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
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
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
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
Developers, owners, and contractors would all be wise to take note of Senate Bill 426, currently under consideration in the Oregon legislature....more
New York Codifies Employer Requirement to Notify Employees of Unemployment Benefit Rights - Gov. Hochul signed S4878A/A298. The law amends New York Labor Law Section 590 by adding a section that requires employers...more
The California Legislature has enacted several new laws that will impact the workplace in 2024. This Holland & Knight alert provides a brief summary of select employment laws that go into effect on Jan. 1, 2024, unless stated...more
Join us on November 16, 2023, as Nossaman’s Allison Callaghan, Pavneet Singh Mac, Michelle McCarthy and Julia Botezatu discuss new California employment and employee benefits laws and regulations, as well as recent case law...more
Governor Newsom recently signed a slew of new bills into law at the close of California’s 2023 legislative session. Of those, there are several employment-related laws that California employers should take note of. We...more
Join us online for a lively discussion of critical year-end updates for California employers. We will address new legislation and key case rulings. Topics include: - Key bills relating to paid sick leave, CalWARN notice...more
To celebrate Labor Day, Governor Kathy Hochul signed a series of bills on September 7 to strengthen protections for workers in New York. Below, we discuss these new developments....more
On September 6, 2023, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed legislation amending the New York Penal Law making wage theft a criminal larceny. Under the penal code, “[a] person steals property and commits larceny when, with...more
On September 6, 2023, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed legislation making failure to pay wages a criminal offense. The new law, (S2832-A/A154-A), expands New York’s definition of larceny to include “wage theft,”...more
Last week, Governor Kathy Hochul signed legislation amending the New York Penal Law in order to allow prosecutors to seek stronger criminal penalties against employers who steal wages from workers. Specifically, employers who...more
Key Takeaways - New York State Penal Law amendments strengthen penalties for employers guilty of wage theft. New York State prohibits employer mandatory meetings on political and religious matters....more
The 2023 New York State Legislature recently concluded its legislative session (after being called back for two weeks to consider certain pieces of legislation). The session ended with a flurry of activity relevant to...more
It is that time of year again, when the Rhode Island legislature ends its session and passes a number of laws that affect businesses with Rhode Island based employees. 2023 was no different. Following is a short summary of...more
Summer in the Ocean State brings with it familiar novelties: the beach, clam cakes, and the end of the General Assembly’s legislative session. In this Insight, we summarize three employment-related bills that Rhode Island...more