Labor Law Updates

Keeping you current on the ever changing labor laws

All employers covered by Wisconsin’s Unemployment Insurance law are required to display the Notice to Employees about Applying for Wisconsin Unemployment Insurance where employees can easily read it. If employers do not have a permanent work site regularly accessed by employees, a copy of the notice must be provided to each employee. The Notice to Read more

On March 24, 2016, Austin became the latest city to approve the Fair Chance Hiring Ordinance also known as “Ban the Box” law. The law applies to employers with at least 15 employees for each working day in each of 20 or more calendar weeks in the current or preceding calendar year. Under the Ordinance, Read more

Last year, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) updated the rules for reporting severe injuries and illnesses. The federal rules require employers to report all in-patient hospitalizations, amputations, and losses of an eye to OSHA within 24 hours of learning about it. By law, the states that operate under OSHA-approved State Plans are Read more

Caregivers in the city of New York will soon be protected employees under the New York City Human Rights Law. Starting May 4, 2016, employees with four or more employees are prohibited to discriminate based on an individual’s actual or perceived status as a caregiver. Employers cannot refuse to hire, reject, exclude, terminate, demote, refuse Read more

On January 1, 2017, Vermont will become the fifth state to require employers to provide employees with paid sick leave, following Connecticut, California, Massachusetts, and Oregon. Vermont ‘s paid sick leave law will eventually provide employees with five days (40 hours) of paid sick leave per year, but employers will have plenty of time to prepare Read more

The state of Utah may be the next state to enact a law requiring employers to provide reasonable accommodations for employees whose ability to perform their job functions is limited by pregnancy, childbirth, and related conditions. Bill S.B. 59 is currently awaiting the governor’s signature. If passed, employers with 15 or more employees working within Read more

California’s Fair Employment and Housing Council has issued proposed regulations on the use of criminal history information in making employment decisions and is giving the interested public until April 7, 2016 to give their feedback. Presently, California law (Labor Code §§432.7, 432.8) prohibits an employer from asking about or considering the following types of criminal Read more

On March 15, 2016, the Manitoba government amended the Employment Standards Code to give victims of domestic violence the right to time off work. As stated by the Labour and Immigration Minister Ema Braun, the legislation will make sure victims have financial security, job protection and flexibility to take time off to recover from violence. Read more

On September 7, 2015, President Barack Obama signed Executive Order 13706 (EO) requiring that certain federal contractors provide their employees with up to seven days of paid sick leave per year, including paid leave allowing for family care. Accordingly, the US Department of Labor (DOL) has announced a Proposed Rule to implement the EO.  The public Read more