On July 1, 2018, an updated equal pay law will go into effect in the state of Massachusetts. An Act to Establish Pay Equity will prevent pay discrimination for comparable work based on gender. The Office of the Massachusetts Attorney General has recently released a guidance to help employers prepare for the new law. The guidance Read more
Although opinions differ as to the cause, the wage gap between male and female workers persists even today – on average, women earn roughly 80% of what men earn over the course of a lifetime. Some equality advocates have argued that the common employer practice of using a new hire’s previous salary to determine their Read more
The New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, and the Division on Civil Rights have recently updated two mandatory workplace postings. New Jersey employers must update their All-On-One poster to remain compliant. The changes include a new protected class under the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination and corrections to the Employer Obligation to Maintain Read more
On May 2, 2018, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed Senate Bill 104, requiring all employers, regardless of size, to provide paid sick time to employees. New Jersey joins Arizona, California, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Washington D.C. in requiring private sector employers to provide paid sick leave to their employees. Read more
Lawmakers and business owners are hopeful that a new Minnesota service animal law will cut down on the number of people who misrepresent their pets as service animals in order to take advantage of the legal protections available to people who require the services of a qualified assistance animal. The law, which was signed by Read more
New Jersey is the latest state to pass an equal pay equity bill. On March 24, 2018, Governor Phil Murphy signed Senate Bill 104 also known as the Diane B. Allen Equal Pay Act. A similar bill had been introduced by the New Jersey Legislature back in 2016. The equal pay and discriminatory pay practices Read more
During its 2018 legislative session, the Virginia General Assembly passed two bills which increase employment protections for employees and job applicants who are members of a reserve military force or civilian auxiliary unit. Although some bills are still waiting for Governor Ralph Northam’s signature, he has already signed these two into law. Virginia Unpaid Leave Read more
Massachusetts employers only have a few more days left to prepare for the new Massachusetts Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. Starting April 1, 2018, employers with six or more employees must provide reasonable accommodations to pregnant and nursing employees. The Act also prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions, such as lactation Read more
Austin is the latest city to join the paid sick leave bandwagon. On February 19, 2018, the Austin City Council passed the ordinance requiring employers to provide employees who work at least 80 hours in a calendar year to accrue paid sick and safe leave at the rate of one hour for every 30 hours Read more
Ontario’s government has passed the Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act, 2017, making several changes to the Employment Standards Act, 2000. Employers covered by this Act should be working on addressing the new amendments, many of which are effective now. Under the new legislation, the minimum wage rate was increased to $14 per hour on January Read more
