Labor Law Updates

Keeping you current on the ever changing labor laws

An alliance between Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) and the Michigan Laborers’ Training and Apprenticeship (MLTAI) was first formed in 2011. The goal of the formal alliance was to provide its members with information regarding workplace health and safety. The alliance currently focuses on individuals who work on energy distribution, renewable energy, home Read more

Soon, Seattle’s Minimum Wage Ordinance will go into effect establishing the minimum wage rate for work performed in Seattle, as follows: $11.00 per hour minimum wage rate for employees of small employers (businesses with 500 or fewer employees in the United States), or $10.00 per hour plus tips and/or health benefits $11.00 per hour for Read more

The state of New York increased the general minimum wage rate in a series of three annual increments starting in 2013; as a result, a Wage Board was appointed to investigate and recommend any changes to service employees’ minimum wage. On February 24, 2015, the Acting Commissioner of the New York Department of Labor adopted Read more

Summer is just around the corner and already employers are planning for the arrival of unpaid interns to join their workplace ranks. As defined under federal, state and local law, the term “unpaid intern” generally refers to a closely supervised individual who works for an employer on a temporary basis and the work provides training Read more

Minnesota’s Bill H 1093, introduced on February 19th, proposes numerous changes to Minnesota’s employment provisions. The bill also known as “Working Parent Act,” covers employee rest and meal breaks, fair scheduling, and earned sick and safe time. Under the proposed bill, employees must get a 10 minute break for every four hours worked. An employer must Read more

Last month, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) distributed a memorandum reinforcing the agency’s position that discrimination based on sexual orientation, transgender status, and gender identity violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII). Title VII prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Title Read more

Georgia’s Governor Nathan Deal has signed an executive order on February 23, 2015, implementing a “ban the box” hiring policy. Similar to the policies adopted by other states across the country, Georgia’s policy was implemented to provide individuals with a criminal record a fair chance to apply to job positions. Under the policy, job applicants Read more

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