On January 23, 2017, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney signed Bill 160840 amending Title 9 of The Philadelphia Code. The new law prohibits employers from inquiring about wage history during the hiring process, unless required by state, federal, or local law for employment purposes. Wages is defined as “all earnings of an employee, regardless of whether Read more
Products sold in California, and restaurants, workplaces and other environments located in California, that contain or expose people to chemicals known to cause cancer or reproductive toxicity, will soon be required to provide more specificity in the warnings they provide to the public. California’s amended “Prop 65” regulations require not only new warning statements, but Read more
The Tennessee Court of Appeals recently affirmed the determination of the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDOL), as well as a lower court, that dog groomers working for a Knoxville company were misclassified as independent contractors. The case serves as a reminder to employers in Tennessee and elsewhere to ensure that they meet Read more
The Delaware Department of Labor has updated the state’s mandatory Employment Discrimination posting. As previously shared in our blog, Delaware passed new employment discrimination laws that would affect the Employment Discrimination posting. The first new law (H.B. 316) makes it unlawful for an employer to discriminate against an employee because of a reproductive health decision. Read more
Just six months after increasing the penalties for violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the U.S. Department of Labor has announced another adjustment to the penalties for FLSA violations. The first adjustment was made last August pursuant to the Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015 (Inflation Adjustment Act). The Inflation Read more
On January 18, the U.S. Department of Labor released its Final Rule establishing the civil monetary penalty amounts, adjusted for inflation, which can be issued by the various agencies under the DOL’s authority for violations assessed after January 13, 2017. These agencies include, among others, the Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs, the Wage and Hour Read more
On January 19, 2017, the Quebec Labour Minister Dominique Vien announced a series of annual minimum wage rate increases. Starting May 1, 2017, the province’s general minimum wage rate will increase from $10.75 per hour to $11.25 per hour. For tipped employees, the rate will increase from $9.20 per hour to $9.45 per hour. For Read more
In December, the District of Columbia passed the Universal Paid Leave Amendment Act of 2016 (UPLA), a measure that is poised to become the nation’s most generous paid family and medical leave law. The UPLA entitles employees to eight weeks of paid parental leave, six weeks of paid family leave, and two weeks of paid Read more
In 2016, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) simultaneously released its Final Rules on Employer Wellness Programs in relation to Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Title II of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA). These rules apply to employers who offer wellness programs (including those administered by a third-party, such Read more
The Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training has revised its mandatory Minimum Wage posting to reflect the new minimum wage rate for tipped employees effective January 1, 2017. During Rhode Island’s 2015 legislative session, Governor Raimondo signed House Bill 5364 establishing $3.89 per hour as the minimum amount an employer must pay a tipped Read more
