On August 19, 2016, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo signed three bills that will strengthen protections for employees in the state of New York starting November 1, 2016. The enacted bills make it a Class D felony to assault a utility worker (S.B. 2251), a process server (S.B. 2991), or a station cleaner or terminal cleaner Read more
Just as classes are getting started, the Obama Administration passed an order that forces public schools to allow students the choice of restrooms that match their gender identity. Schools can offer students single-use restrooms, but cannot require transgender students to use these single-use restrooms if other students are not required to do the same. Furthermore, Read more
On July 8, 2016, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker signed S.B. 2407, An Act Relative to Transgender Anti-Discrimination, protecting individuals whose gender identity differs from their sex assigned at birth. The emergency law was passed to extend protection of transgender people in places of public accommodations. Under the law, a lessee, proprietor, manager, superintendent, agent or Read more
On March 7, 2016, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio passed Executive Order 16 providing transgender and gender non-conforming individuals access to single-sex facilities owned or operated by the City. The purpose of the Order is to ensure individuals are protected against discrimination on the basis of gender identity and expression. As defined in Read more
Pennsylvania is the latest state to join the U.S. Department of Labor Misclassification Initiative. As stated in the Memorandum of Understanding, the goal is to provide “clear, accurate, and easy-to-access outreach to employers, employees, and other stakeholders, and of sharing resources and enhancing enforcement by conducting coordinated investigations and sharing information consistent with applicable law.” The Commonwealth Read more
Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker has signed S.B. 2119, An Act Establish Pay Equity, making it unlawful for any employer to discriminate on the basis of gender in the payment of wages, or pay any employee a salary less than the rates paid to its employees of a different gender for comparable work. Under the new Read more
Employers covered by the Georgia Workers’ Compensation Law must now post the revised Workers’ Compensation Bill of Rights summary. Released by the State Board of Workers’ Compensation, the summary includes new compensation benefit amounts increased by enacted H.B 818. Starting July 1, 2016, an employer must pay a weekly benefit equal to two-thirds of the Read more
In just a few days, Minnesotans earning minimum wage will see an increase in their pay. Employers covered by the Minnesota Fair Labor Standards Act will have to pay their minimum wage rate employees new rates starting August 1, 2016. Employers with an annual gross volume of sales made or business done of $500,000 must Read more
The State of Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development has recently released the new Wisconsin Bone Marrow and Organ Donation Leave Act posting. As previously shared in our blog, Wisconsin employers with 50 or more employees must provide employees with up to six weeks of leave in a 12-month period to undergo a bone marrow or organ Read more
Starting January 1, 2017, Connecticut employers will be prohibited from asking about an applicant’s prior arrests, criminal charges or convictions on an initial employment application. An employer is defined as “any person engaged in business who has one or more employees, including the state or any political subdivision of the state.” Under the enacted H.B. Read more
