The City of Portland, Oregon has amended the Portland Civil Rights Ordinance to clarify that religious discrimination includes discrimination on the basis of atheism and agnosticism. In a press release, Commissioner Anna Fritz, who submitted the ordinance to the City Council, stated that “Freedom of religion includes freedom not to affiliate with a religious belief. Read more
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and its E-Verify division have released a new Right to Work poster. Employers that participate in E-Verify must post the Right to Work poster along with the E-Verify Participation poster in the workplace. The posters must be displayed in both English and Spanish. Employers must replace previous Read more
While most New Mexico municipalities update their minimum wage rates in January, Santa Fe stands apart from the pack with an annual increase to the city living wage on March 1. With the most recent increase already in effect, the city has finally released the mandatory poster. Employers with workers operating within the city should Read more
On March 4, 2019, a federal court overturned an agency-ordered delay of EEO-1 pay data rules. The rules will require employers with 100 or more employees to submit wage and hour information for employees in addition to data already required by the EEO-1 survey. The EEO-1 survey in its current form collects employment data from Read more
On July 17, 2018, Kentucky Governor Matthew G. Bevin passed Executive Order 2018-586 abolishing the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board. The Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board consisted of a thirteen-member body chaired by the Secretary of Labor. The Board was created to adopt and promulgate occupational safety and health rules, regulations, and standards Read more
Frlekin v. Apple, Inc. is one of several California Wage Order interpretation cases that merit watching this year. The California Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether retail employees should be compensated for the time spent while their personal belongings are searched by store management prior to exiting the premises. The question turns on the Read more
Starting today, March 4, 2019, employers in Westchester County, New York are prohibited from requesting job applicants to disclose criminal history in employment applications. The County Board of the County of Westchester passed the Fair Chance to Work Act to provide individuals with a criminal record a fair chance to apply to job positions. The Read more
The New York City Commission on Human Rights (NYCCHR) has released new enforcement guidance to let businesses covered by the city’s Human Rights Law know that the agency understands racial discrimination to include discrimination on the basis of hair style or texture. The guidance document specifically focuses on grooming or appearance policies which “ban, limit, Read more
A recent California Court of Appeals decision is certain to have a big impact on employers in the mercantile industry that schedule their employees for on-call shifts. Earlier this month, the California Court of Appeal in Ward v. Tilly’s decided that an employer who requires its employees to call in prior to the start of Read more
After nearly a decade of hovering just above the federal minimum wage, Illinois has joined California, New York, Massachusetts, and (most recently) New Jersey in scheduling a $15 minimum wage. The new law creates a series of smaller wage hikes starting in 2020, with the final $15 rate taking effect in 2025. SB 1, or Read more
