Employees of federal contractors soon will have some much needed relief when it comes to taking care of their own wellness and providing care for family members with health conditions. Earlier this week Present Obama issued an Executive Order that will entitle employees of federal contractors to earn up to seven paid sick leave days Read more
In the last two years, paid sick leave has gained momentum in the state of New Jersey. Nine cities across the state have adopted a paid sick leave ordinance. The ordinances, which are now effective, are very similar in major areas. Under all nine ordinances, qualified employees will accrue a minimum of one hour Read more
Personal social media accounts can be a pitfall for unwary employees and a temptation for overzealous employers. Often employees reveal information in the social media that employers are prohibited from considering when making hiring or employment-related decisions. For example, employees’ social media posts may disclose protected personal characteristics such as age, health or family status. Read more
To ensure and promote workplace safety, the Maine Department of Labor will offer once again free safety classes in the month of September. The courses will be held at the SafetyWorks Training Institution in Augusta, unless otherwise noted. According to SafetyWorks, the program trains approximately 8,000 individuals annually. The free courses, which are available Read more
Last January 1, Illinois’ Pregnancy Accommodation Act, also known as the “Pregnancy Fairness Act”, went into effect protecting pregnant workers from employment discrimination and requiring employers to provide reasonable accommodations to employees, and job applicants, for conditions related to pregnancy, childbirth, or medical or common conditions related to pregnancy or childbirth. New administrative rules implementing Read more
A court in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania has suggested that a decision by the state’s department of labor can be the “ultimate resolution” to a class action’s legal matter. In the class action, Siciliano v. Mueller, employees claimed that their employer violated the Pennsylvania Wage Payment and Collection Law by mandating to receive their payment of Read more
Maine has become the latest state to enact a bill prohibiting employers from accessing employees’ personal social media accounts. Under the new Act (Bill H 640), employers cannot require or coerce an employee or potential employee to disclose his or her password to any of his or her social media accounts. These accounts may include Read more
For the first time since 2012, British Columbia, Canada, will raise its general minimum wage rate from $10.25 per hour to $10.45 per hour effective September 15, 2015. The Liquor server minimum wage rate, currently $9.00 per hour, will also increase on September 15 to $9.20 per hour. The September minimum wage rates are included Read more
The North Dakota Department of Labor and Human Rights has released a new Minimum Wage and Work Conditions Summary posting. During North Dakota’s 2015 legislative session, several labor laws were passed, including two laws that caused major revisions on the Minimum Wage and Work Conditions Summary posting. The revised posting includes a new list of Read more
The White House is considering an Executive Order (“EO”) that would require federal contractors to provide paid sick leave to their employees. The tentative “Executive Order Establishing Paid Sick Leave For Contractors,” if issued, would mandate that federal contractors provide their employees up to 56 hours (the equivalent of 7 days) of paid sick leave Read more
