With Election Day approaching, here is a timely reminder for employers in Minnesota, Iowa, South Dakota, and North Dakota regarding their obligations under these states’ laws to excuse employees from work to go to the polls....more
New laws in Minnesota will change how employers need to handle parental leave, tips, and recordkeeping. Most of the changes were part of the state’s omnibus bill for 2024 and are set to take effect on August 1, 2024....more
7/31/2024
/ Compliance Dates ,
Employee Benefits ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
New Guidance ,
New Legislation ,
Paid Leave ,
Paid Sick Leave ,
Parental Leave ,
Pregnancy ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Safe Leave ,
Sick Leave ,
State Labor Laws ,
Tipped Employees ,
Tips ,
Wage and Hour
On May 24, 2023, Governor Tim Walz signed into law an omnibus jobs and economic development bill that included, among its many workplace-related provisions, the establishment of a statewide paid sick leave program, effective...more
6/6/2023
/ Governor Walz ,
Lactation Accommodation ,
New Legislation ,
Notice Requirements ,
Paid Sick Leave ,
Pregnancy ,
Retirement Plan ,
Safe Leave ,
State Labor Departments ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety
On May 24, 2023, Governor Tim Walz signed Senate File No. 3035, which, among other provisions, amends the Packinghouse Workers Bill of Rights (Minn. Stat. § 179.86), creates new meatpacking workplace safety requirements with...more
On May 24, 2023, Governor Tim Walz signed into law legislation that further expands protections for nursing and pregnant employees in Minnesota. The amendment, included in Senate File (SF) 3035, builds on the changes that...more
On May 24, 2023, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz signed into law a sweeping omnibus jobs and economic development and labor funding bill that will invest $500 million in a fund to match federal investments in infrastructure and...more
We are close to the end of the 2023 Minnesota legislative session, and the legislature has left employers in the weeds with all the drastic changes. Namely, the legislature sent Minnesota’s recreational marijuana bill to...more
On May 17, 2023, the Minnesota state legislature passed an omnibus jobs and economic development and labor funding bill that could have serious implications for employers in the state, including a ban on noncompete clauses,...more
5/22/2023
/ Contract Terms ,
Employment Contract ,
Governor Walz ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Paid Sick Leave ,
Pending Legislation ,
Pregnancy ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
State Labor Laws ,
Workplace Safety
Minnesota’s 2023 legislative session is off to a hot start and turning out to be an important one for Minnesota employers and companies doing business in Minnesota. Currently, there are four noteworthy bills that employers...more
On June 2, 2022, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz signed House File (H.F.) 4065 into law, a measure that provides clarity regarding hemp-derived consumables stemming from the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, also known as the...more
On June 7, 2022, the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (MNDOLI) issued its long-awaited approved employer notice regarding requirements under the Frontline Worker Pay Law.
As discussed in our previous articles...more
As expected, the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry recently provided an update regarding the new Frontline Worker Pay Law by distributing a fact sheet and a set of answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs). ...more
On April 29, 2022, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz signed Senate File (S.F.) No. 2677 into law, replenishing the state unemployment coffers and authorizing payments to various frontline workers. This new law requires Minnesota...more
The Minnesota Legislature, currently in regular session until mid- to late May 2022, has drafted various bills that may impact Minnesota employers and employees. Notably, some of the major bills under consideration (or...more
Minnesota’s Occupational Safety Administration (MNOSHA) adopted the federal Occupational Safety Health Administration’s (OSHA) COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) on January 3, 2022, and began...more
On January 3, 2022, Minnesota’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MNOSHA) adopted the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing Emergency Temporary Standard...more
1/6/2022
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Mandates ,
Enforcement Guidance ,
Masks ,
OSHA ,
SCOTUS ,
State OSHA Laws ,
Temporary Regulations ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
Over 2,500 COVID-19–related employment lawsuits were filed in the United States in 2020. Ogletree Deakins’ Interactive COVID-19 Litigation Tracker highlights the industries impacted, locations, and types of claims in these...more
2/10/2021
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Arbitration Agreements ,
Business Interruption ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Constructive Discharge ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employment Litigation ,
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ,
OSHA ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
WARN Act ,
Workplace Hazards ,
Wrongful Termination
While hospitals are working hard to provide necessary care for COVID-19 patients, other medical practices and physician groups are diligently working to maintain their workforces and keep physicians busy during this time....more
The Minnesota Legislature wrapped up its 2019 legislative session with a one-day special session last month that resulted in the passage of an omnibus appropriations bill, the Jobs and Economic Development Omnibus. The...more
As the 2019 regular session of the Minnesota Legislature draws to a close, lawmakers in St. Paul are deadlocked on the budget bill. As a result, many of the bills we reported on in our previous articles are stalled in...more
The Minnesota Supreme Court recently issued two decisions affecting employers in the state. In one, the high court overruled a 30-year-old precedent that excluded disabilities covered by the Minnesota Workers’ Compensation...more
In part one of this series, we reported on several legislative developments in Minnesota that could impact employers. Now the Minnesota Legislature has proposed more bills affecting the workplace....more
4/1/2019
/ Employer Liability Issues ,
Equal Pay ,
Gender-Based Pay Discrimination ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Minimum Wage ,
Preemption ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Right to Work ,
Sexual Harassment ,
Sick Leave ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour ,
Wage Theft