On November 16, 2016, the New York City Council passed the Freelance Isn’t Free Act (Int. 1017-2015) with the purpose of protecting freelance workers. Starting March 15, 2017, employers or hiring parties will be required to provide a written contract when employing a freelance worker for services with a value of $800 or more. The Read more
Last May we first blogged about federal OSHA’s controversial Final Rule to “Improve Tracking of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses.” The Final Rule requires, among other things, employers to specifically inform employees of their right to report work-related injuries and illnesses free from retaliation. This provision, referred to as the “anti-retaliation” rule, was originally scheduled to Read more
The City of Los Angeles is joining a growing list of cities and states to “ban the box” by removing questions about job applicants’ criminal histories from job applications. The recently adopted “Fair Chance Initiative” (the “Ordinance”) will prohibit Los Angeles employers from inquiring about an applicant’s criminal history or from performing any form of Read more
Back in June we reported on the passage of the Minneapolis Sick and Safe Time Ordinance, which requires employers to provide workers with earned leave for the purpose of seeking assistance with health or safety issues for themselves or a family member. Minneapolis was the first city in the Midwest to pass a sick time Read more
On November 4, 2016, New York City’s Mayor Bill de Blasio signed Executive Order 21 prohibiting city agencies from inquiring about the salary history of prospective employees. City agencies may ask prospective employees about previous compensation including wage, salary, benefits or other compensation if a conditional offer of employment has been made, and for the Read more
In recent years, local minimum wage and paid sick leave laws have been taking effect all across the country. Illinois is no exception. Last year, the City of Chicago passed a minimum wage ordinance that requires employers to pay non-tipped employees at least $10.00 per hour beginning July 1, 2015. Over the next four years Read more
On November 8, Maine was one of four states which passed ballot initiatives approving a minimum wage increase. In addition to raising the 2017 state minimum wage for non-tipped workers from $7.50 per hour to $9.00, the Maine referendum schedules additional increases of $1.00 per year until the minimum hourly rate reaches $12.00, at which Read more
In an effort to assist in the employment of veterans, the state of Pennsylvania has recently passed a law (H.B. 1600) that encourages employers to adopt a voluntary veteran’s preference employment policy. The policy must be: in writing, made available in any job posting, provided to each applicant at the time of hiring and to Read more
The District of Columbia has updated its mandatory Minimum Wage posting. All employers in the District are required to post this labor law summary. Employers are advised that the District routinely enforces labor law posting compliance and should update posters as soon as possible. The posting reflects recent changes in the law and procedural changes. Read more
After significant delay, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) will begin enforcement of its new anti-retaliation regulations today. Although these provisions of the Improving Tracking of Workplace Illness and Injury rule actually went into effect in August of this year, OSHA agreed to push back the enforcement deadline twice, most recently at the request of Read more
