Labor Law Updates

Keeping you current on the ever changing labor laws

This summer, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued a Final Rule that requires, among other things, certain employers to inform employees of their right to report work-related injuries and illnesses free from discrimination or retaliation. Employers under federal OSHA jurisdiction can meet this notice requirement by posting the current federal OSHA posting. Read more

On July 8, 2016, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker signed S.B. 2407, An Act Relative to Transgender Anti-Discrimination, protecting individuals whose gender identity differs from their sex assigned at birth. The emergency law was passed to extend protection of transgender people in places of public accommodations. Under the law, a lessee, proprietor, manager, superintendent, agent or Read more

Last year, President Obama signed Executive Order 13706 (EO) to establish paid sick leave for federal contractors. The Executive Order requires certain federal contractors to provide their employees with up to 7 days (56 hours) of paid sick leave per year, including paid leave allowing for family care. By September 30, 2016, the proposed regulations Read more

Recently, Illinois became the second state – after Oregon – to officially mandate that employers provide their employees time off to grieve the loss of a family member. The Illinois Child Bereavement Leave Act (CBLA) took effect immediate effect upon Governor Bruce Rauner’s signature on July 29, 2016. The law permits employees who have suffered the Read more

On March 7, 2016, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio passed Executive Order 16 providing transgender and gender non-conforming individuals access to single-sex facilities owned or operated by the City. The purpose of the Order is to ensure individuals are protected against discrimination on the basis of gender identity and expression. As defined in Read more

Illinois jobseekers who file new claims for unemployment insurance benefits need to get a jump start on the job hunt. The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) recently announced that it is enhancing its enforcement of the requirement that unemployment insurance claimants register for employment services. Beginning July 17, 2016, new claimants will be required Read more

Pennsylvania is the latest state to join the U.S. Department of Labor Misclassification Initiative. As stated in the Memorandum of Understanding, the goal is to provide “clear, accurate, and easy-to-access outreach to employers, employees, and other stakeholders, and of sharing resources and enhancing enforcement by conducting coordinated investigations and sharing information consistent with applicable law.” The Commonwealth Read more

Beginning August 10, 2016, Colorado joins a growing list of states that protect employees and applicants for employment with conditions related to pregnancy, childbirth and related health conditions. Specifically, Colorado’s new pregnancy anti-discrimination law requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations to pregnant applicants, employees and new moms, if requested. Under the law, employers are prohibited from: Read more

Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker has signed S.B. 2119, An Act Establish Pay Equity, making it unlawful for any employer to discriminate on the basis of gender in the payment of wages, or pay any employee a salary less than the rates paid to its employees of a different gender for comparable work. Under the new Read more

Effective July 11, 2016, employers in the City of San Diego are required to pay employees a higher minimum wage rate and provide their employees with up to 40 hours of paid sick leave per year. Minimum Wage Under San Diego’s newly approved Earned Sick Leave and Minimum Wage Ordinance, the current minimum wage rate Read more