Yesterday, the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) announced that the state’s minimum wage rate will increase 6 cents per hour in 2017. The wage will rise to $9.53 an hour on January 1, 2017. Washington’s 2016 minimum wage is $9.47 per hour. Each year, L&I is required to adjust the state’s minimum Read more
On March 28, 2016, Utah Governor Gary Herbert signed S.B. 59, providing workplace accommodations to employees due to pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related conditions. Employers with 15 or more employees are required to provide accommodations unless these impose an undue hardship. That is, the accommodation requires “significant difficulty or expense when considered in relation to Read more
California agricultural workers will soon become the first in the county to receive overtime pay on the same terms as other hourly employees. Like most states, California law requires most hourly employees to be paid time and one-half their regular rate of pay for hours worked in excess of a 8 hours in one workday Read more
On October 27, 2015, an Act to amend various statutes with respect to sexual violence, sexual harassment, domestic violence and related matters passed the first reading. The Act, also known as Bill 132, has amended provisions that specify employers’ obligations to have a program and a policy to protect employees from workplace harassment. The new Read more
Beginning July 1, 2017, workers in the city of Chicago will start accruing paid sick leave time, allowing them meet financial responsibilities and at the same time attend to their own or their family members’ health care needs. A recent amendment to the City’s minimum wage law was enacted giving eligible employees the right to Read more
The New York Department of Labor has recently adopted the final regulation on the methods of payment by which employees must be paid. Starting March 7, 2017, employers may pay employees using cash, check, direct deposit, or payroll debit card. Individuals employed in a bona fide executive, administrative, or professional capacity whose earnings are in Read more
Mandatory paid sick leave laws continue to expand around the nation. Five states and at least 27 cities and counties now require that employees be allowed to accrue paid sick leave to care for their own illnesses or injuries or for preventive health care. Often, paid sick leave laws also allow an employee to use Read more
St. Paul has become the second Minneapolis city to require employers to provide earned safe and sick time for their employees. On September 7, 2016, the St. Paul City Council passed a mandatory paid sick leave ordinance. Under the ordinance, an individual, corporation, partnership, association, nonprofit organization, or a group of persons with one or Read more
Several Canadian provinces will increase their minimum wage rates this fall including Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, and Saskatchewan. The minimum wage rate increases are based on annual changes in the Consumer Price Index (CPI). The CPI is used as an indicator of the change in the cost of living. The minimum wage rate increases taking Read more
Adjustments to Penalties On August 1, 2016, new penalty amounts for violations of Federal OSHA law took effect. OSHA’s maximum penalties, which were last adjusted in 1990, have been adjusted for inflation. The penalties, which include an initial “catch-up” adjustment, have increased 78%. Going forward, OSHA will continue to adjust its penalties for inflation each Read more
