On February 26, the US Department of Labor (DOL) Women’s Bureau (WB) published a Notice proposing to conduct a survey about working women to identify employment issues and challenges currently facing women, including their perceptions on career choice and overall equity in the workplace, and also to explore the factors that contribute to women leaving Read more
Three New Mexico communities are increasing their minimum wage rates. Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Bernalillo each tie the minimum wage rate in their jurisdictions to increases in the cost of living from the previous year, as measured by the Consumer Price Index. Albuquerque Albuquerque’s Minimum Wage rate increased to $8.75 per hour effective January 1, Read more
Today the U.S. Department of Labor issued a Final Rule extending the Family and Medical Leave Act’s (FMLA) protections to married same-sex couples regardless of whether the state they live in recognizes their union. This rule will ensure that spouses in same-sex marriages have the same ability as all spouses to fully exercise their FMLA Read more
Cal/OSHA regulations for workplace violence prevention in hospital and healthcare settings have been anticipated since the 2014 passage of CA SB 1299. That bill requires Cal/OSHA to adopt standards by January 1, 2016 that require hospitals to establish workplace violence prevention plans. Cal/OSHA’s recently released draft regulation goes beyond requiring workplace violence prevention plans in Read more
Two recent California court decisions have interpreted features of California law that affect how employees spend their break time and what their employers can expect. Specifically, the decisions concern employee reprieve from work and availability during meal and rest periods. Applicable Law In California, employee meal and rest periods are prescribed by statute and Industrial Read more
Virginia employers may soon face stricter injury reporting rules. A proposed workplace safety bill aligning Virginia reporting requirements in cases of severe work-related injuries and fatalities with federal occupational safety and health reporting requirements is moving forward in the state legislature. By comparison, the state measure will hold employers to more strident reporting standards than Read more
Last year, the District of Columbia passed the Wage Theft Prevention Amendment Act of 2014 (DC B 671) making significant changes to D.C.’s wage and hour laws. In particular, the act increases employer liability for wage-and-hour violations and changes the administrative procedures for adjudicating wage disputes. The act also increases employers’ notice obligations to employees. Read more
The US DOL Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) has published a proposed rule updating the sex discrimination guidelines for federal contractors and subcontractors. The sex discrimination guidelines implement Executive Order 11246, which prohibits companies with federal contracts and subcontracts from sex discrimination in employment. The proposed rule would replace existing sex discrimination guidelines, Read more
Because workplaces are constantly changing, the US Department of Labor is always reviewing its existing regulations to update rules that may be out of date, ineffective, insufficient or excessively burdensome. For example, in recent years OSHA implemented three improvement projects to address duplicative, unnecessary and inconsistent safety and health standards. Right now, the DOL is Read more
On July 1, 2015, employees that work in the city of Eugene, Oregon will start earning a new benefit – paid sick leave. A proposed rule released earlier this month by the city of Eugene suggests how the paid sick leave law will operate. As proposed, the following conditions will apply: Who Is Covered by Read more
