On March 19, 2025, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) released two “technical assistance documents” for the purpose of “educating the public about unlawful...more
On March 14, 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit granted the government’s request to stay a Maryland federal judge’s nationwide preliminary injunction that temporarily stopped three key provisions of...more
3/18/2025
/ Appeals ,
Compliance ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I) ,
Executive Orders ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Injunctions ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Trump Administration
On January 20 and 21, 2025, President Trump declared “DEI” to be henceforth “illegal” and issued two executive orders aimed at eliminating DEI programs – leaving employers in the private and public sectors to wonder – what...more
2/26/2025
/ Constitutional Challenges ,
Diversity ,
Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I) ,
Educational Institutions ,
Executive Orders ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Fifth Amendment ,
First Amendment ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Trump Administration
On January 21, 2025, President Trump advanced his pledge to “take action to abolish all discriminatory diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI) programs “throughout the government and the private sector” by issuing the...more
The expanded CT Paid Sick Leave requirements were signed into law on May 21, 2024, and were effective January 1, 2025. Since that time, the CT Department of Labor (“DOL”) published, and subsequently updated, FAQs and...more
We previously notified New York State employers of an amendment to the paid sick leave law for prenatal care. The law went into effect January 1, 2025. All employers need to ensure they understand and comply with the law....more
Hinckley Allen’s Labor & Employment Group invites you to our fifth virtual Lunch & Learn program. We’ll cover various topics, including:
- Potential policy changes under the new Trump administration...more
12/19/2024
/ Best Practices ,
Continuing Legal Education ,
EEO ,
Employee Handbooks ,
Employment Policies ,
NLRB ,
Over-Time ,
Paid Sick Leave ,
Pay Transparency ,
Secretary of Labor ,
State Labor Laws ,
Tip Credit ,
Tipped Employees ,
Tips ,
Trump Administration ,
Wage and Hour ,
Webinars
On July 31, 2024, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey signed into law the “Frances Perkins Workplace Equity Act” (H.4890 or the “Act”). The legislature drafted this new act to enhance wage equity and transparency across the...more
8/27/2024
/ Employer Liability Issues ,
Equal Pay ,
Gender Equity ,
Gender-Based Pay Discrimination ,
Labor Reform ,
New Legislation ,
Pay Equity Laws ,
Pay Gap ,
Pay Transparency ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
On August 20, a federal court in Texas issued an order invalidating the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) ban on noncompete agreements (Final Rule), which had been set to take effect on September 4, 2024. The decision, issued...more
8/22/2024
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Competition ,
Confidential Information ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Final Rules ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Injunctive Relief ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Restrictive Covenants
On July 3, 2024, a federal court in Texas issued an order that partially enjoins the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) from implementing or enforcing its Final Rule prohibiting most non-compete agreements (the “Final Rule”),...more
7/16/2024
/ Competition ,
Confidential Information ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Labor Reform ,
Motion To Enjoin ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Restrictive Covenants
Hinckley Allen’s Labor & Employment Group invites you to attend its fourth virtual Lunch & Learn program. Join Partners, Christine Bush and Lisa Zaccardelli, alongside Associate Julianna Malogolowkin, for an insightful...more
In the article below we informed you that the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) approved and issued a final rule effectively banning non-compete agreements nationwide (“Final Rule”). At the time, all we knew about the...more
5/8/2024
/ Competition ,
Confidential Information ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Final Rules ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Labor Reform ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Popular ,
Restrictive Covenants
Recent legislative developments at both the federal and state levels have extended workplace protections for pregnant individuals and new parents. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) issued a final regulation...more
5/3/2024
/ Employer Responsibilities ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Final Rules ,
New York ,
Paid Leave ,
Parental Leave ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Pregnancy ,
Pregnancy Discrimination ,
Pregnant Workers Fairness Act ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Undue Hardship
On April 23, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) approved and issued a final rule effectively banning non-compete agreements nationwide (the “Final Rule”). As a result of a 3-to-2 vote, the FTC found that non-compete...more
4/26/2024
/ Competition ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Employment Contract ,
Federal Bans ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Final Rules ,
FTC Act ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Notice Requirements ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
Unfair Competition
Update: As we indicate below, the NLRB’s final rule regarding the standard to determine joint-employer status under the NLRA was met with a challenge in the court system, and on March 8, 2024, just days before the applicable...more
3/14/2024
/ Browning-Ferris Industries of California Inc. ,
Collective Bargaining ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Franchises ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Joint Employers ,
Labor Reform ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
Staffing Agencies ,
Unfair Labor Practices ,
Unions ,
Wage and Hour
This week, the Department of Labor (“DOL”) released a final rule that changes the criteria for classifying independent contractors under federal law. We first wrote about the rule change back in October 2022 when the rule was...more
1/12/2024
/ Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Economic Realities Test ,
Employee Definition ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Final Rules ,
Freelance Workers ,
Gig Economy ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Independent Contractors ,
Labor Reform ,
Misclassification ,
Over-Time ,
Wage and Hour