Washington State has passed two new laws that make taking family and sick leave a practical reality for employees. Under the state’s new paid leave laws, employees are entitled to paid time off for their own health reasons, to care for a family member a with health condition, and to bond with a new child. Read more
Just when we thought it was over, Missouri’s Legislature makes a surprise. Starting August 28, 2017, the minimum wage rate in the City of St. Louis will drop from $10.00 per hour to $7.70 per hour. A house bill (1194) preempting local minimum wages in the state has been passed. Political subdivisions are prohibited from requiring Read more
Although budget battles with Governor Doug Burgum and the ramp-up to medical marijuana stole headlines, several bills passed during North Dakota’s 2017 legislative session signaled the state’s increased commitment to ensuring care for injured workers – without raising premiums for employers who fulfill their existing obligations under the law. Effective August 1, 2017, two laws Read more
Minimum Wage In case you missed it, this month the City of Emeryville, California boosted minimum wage workers’ pay. Effective July 1, 2017, the minimum wage rate for employees of large employers (56 or more employees) increased to $15.20 per hour. The minimum wage rate employees of small employers (55 or fewer employees) increased to Read more
Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court has recently ruled that former employees are not entitled to review their personnel files. In the Inspection of Employment Records Law (Act of 1978, No. 286), an employee is authorized to inspect certain information from his or her own personnel files maintained by the employer. The question is whether a recently terminated Read more
Minimum Wages Earlier this week, new minimum wage rates took effect for employers operating in Chicago and Cook County, Illinois. Higher costs of living are often associated with these communities and raising the minimum wage rate gives workers buying power more on-par with workers in other major metropolitan areas of the country. Chicago has had Read more
Although Maine’s legislative session has been fraught, leading to blocked bills and government shutdown over the 4th of July weekend, at least there’s one thing everyone could agree on: the tip credit should stay. A controversial portion of Maine’s minimum wage law which would do away with the use of tips being counted as wages Read more
Earlier this month, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced its intention to propose a later deadline for the submission of injury and illness data in compliance with the agency’s electronic recordkeeping requirement, originally scheduled for July 1. In a new proposed rule, OSHA suggests pushing the deadline for the electronic submission of injury Read more
New Hampshire employers will soon be permitted to pay wages to employees biweekly. Currently, employers must pay workers each week. Payday must be no later than seven days after the end of the week when employees earned the wages. On May 12, 2017, Governor Chris Sununu signed House Bill 194 amending the Revised Statutes Annotated Read more
Starting July 1, 2017, the minimum wage rate for all Santa Monica employers will increase. It’s the first time small employers (25 or fewer employees) in Santa Monica will be required to pay a minimum wage rate that is higher than the state minimum wage rate. Last year, only large Santa Monica employers (employers with Read more
