Several Canadian provinces will increase their minimum wage rates this fall including Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, and Saskatchewan. The minimum wage rate increases are based on annual changes in the Consumer Price Index (CPI). The CPI is used as an indicator of the change in the cost of living. The minimum wage rate increases taking Read more
Adjustments to Penalties On August 1, 2016, new penalty amounts for violations of Federal OSHA law took effect. OSHA’s maximum penalties, which were last adjusted in 1990, have been adjusted for inflation. The penalties, which include an initial “catch-up” adjustment, have increased 78%. Going forward, OSHA will continue to adjust its penalties for inflation each Read more
Although the Illinois state legislature is presently considering a statewide sick leave bill, currently there is no Illinois state law requiring private employers to provide employees sick leave, paid or unpaid. Today, more than 40% of private sector workers in Illinois cannot earn paid sick time. Of those workers who receive paid health care time, Read more
Turning in employers that violate labor laws just got easier for workers in California. Last week, the California Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) and the Labor Commissioner’s Office introduced a new online tool, Report a Labor Law Violation, to report the types of employer violations that harm groups of workers and ultimately adversely impact the community. Read more
This year, Colorado enacted the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) and with it expanded its anti-discrimination in employment law to include discrimination based on pregnancy and related medical conditions. State law not only protects pregnant job applicants and employees from discrimination in the terms and conditions of employment, but the PWFA additionally requires employers to Read more
You may have noticed that the current Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, has an expiration date of March 31, 2016, and may be uncertain whether this form is still valid for use. The USCIS informs employers that this version of Form I-9 is current and directs employers to continue using this form while it works Read more
Louisiana hotels have become the most recent focus of the state’s effort to stop human trafficking. A new law that went into effect earlier this month requires all hotels to post a notice in the workplace to provide information to workers regarding the National Human Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC) hotline. The law defines “hotels” to Read more
Over the next few weeks, Seattle, WA will be considering an ordinance to provide employees of large employers predictability and flexibility in the scheduling of their work hours. The ordinance, called the Secure Scheduling Proposal, will require giving workers advance notice of their work schedules, pay them for on-call hours, provide them the opportunity to Read more
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
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
