On November 15, 2024, in State of Texas v. Dep’t of Labor, 24-cv-468-SDJ, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas vacated the Department of Labor’s (DOL) final rule raising the salary thresholds for being...more
11/18/2024
/ Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Final Rules ,
Highly Compensated Employees ,
Minimum Salary ,
Minimum Wage ,
Over-Time ,
Popular ,
Salaried Employees ,
Statutory Authority ,
Vacated ,
Wage and Hour
Massachusetts -
Starting November 21, 2024, all Massachusetts employers covered by the state’s Earned Sick Time Law will be required to allow employees to use sick time for certain reproductive losses. This change comes...more
Massachusetts Earned Sick Time Law -
Once again, Massachusetts is among the vanguard of U.S. states in providing employee leave benefits. Starting November 21, 2024, all Massachusetts employers covered by the state’s...more
On May 6, 2024, the Connecticut Senate passed legislation that, once signed into law, will significantly expand the State’s paid sick leave statute, including broadening the statute’s scope to cover almost all employers and...more
On April 23, 2024, the United States Department of Labor (DOL) released its highly anticipated final overtime rule, which increases the threshold salary levels for the “white collar” and “highly compensated employee” overtime...more
On March 14, 2024, the Massachusetts House of Representatives passed legislation that would prohibit employers from obtaining or using a true credit report for employment purposes. The bill is expected to pass the Senate and...more
On April 19, 2024, the EEOC published its final rule Implementation of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (“PWFA”), which will take effect on June 18, 2024 (the “Final Rule”). The Final Rule details how employers are required...more
On October 17, 2023, Governor Healey signed a significant amendment to the Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave (“PFML”) law. The amendment addresses the “topping off” issue that has elicited concerns from employers...more
On August 30, 2023, the United States Department of Labor (“DOL”) issued a proposed rule that would significantly expand the number of employees who are entitled to overtime pay. The DOL also issued a Q&A to answer questions...more
On July 20, 2023, the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts dismissed an employee’s Title VII lawsuit, by which she challenged her employer’s denial of her request for religious exemption from a...more
On July 21, 2023, the United States Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”), the parent agency of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”), announced that a new version of the Form I-9 will be...more
On June 29, 2023, the United States Supreme Court issued a significant decision in Groff v. DeJoy, No. 22-174 (June 29, 2023), in which it “clarified” the religious accommodation standard under Title VII of the Civil Rights...more
In a decision titled The Atlanta Opera, Inc. and issued by the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”) on Tuesday, June 13, 2023 (the “Decision”), the NLRB made it more difficult for employers to classify workers as...more
In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, in March 2020, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)/US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) temporarily suspended the physical presence requirement of the Form I-9 verification...more
As noted in our prior client alerts (Employers Beware – Your Confidentiality Provisions May Come Back to Bite You and Concrete Steps Employers Should Consider When Drafting Severance Agreements in the Wake of McLaren Macomb),...more
On February 9, 2023, the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (“DOL”) issued a Field Assistance Bulletin (“Bulletin”). The Bulletin provides guidance on the application of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and...more
On January 6, 2023, the Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave Act (“PFML)” revised regulations were issued.
These changes center around an employer’s responsibility to maintain health insurance benefits for employees...more
On January 11, 2023, the First Circuit (the federal Court of Appeals covering MA, RI, NH, ME and Puerto Rico) issued its decision in Walsh v. Unitil Service Corp., which scrutinized an employer’s evaluation of whether its...more
Signed into law last month were three federal statutes impacting millions of U.S. workers: the Speak Out Act, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, and the Providing Urgent Maternal Protections for Nursing Mothers Act.
SPEAK...more
Join us for part one of the 14th Annual Law Update, when we will look ahead at hot topics that HR professionals and senior administrators of your organization or campus need to know in 2023.
- Do you have employees...more
Important updates to the Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave law (“MA PFML”) are going into effect January 1, 2023. Employers should take steps now to ensure that their payroll systems reflect the revised contribution...more
On October 19, 2022, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) released an updated “Know Your Rights” poster, which replaces the previous “EEO is the Law” poster. The EEOC’s website lists several versions of the...more
On October 13, 2022, the United States Department of Labor (DOL) published a proposed rule that seeks to alter the test for determining whether a worker is an independent contractor or an employee under the federal Fair Labor...more
On September 6, 2022, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) regarding the standard for determining joint-employer status under the National Labor Relations Act...more
9/14/2022
/ Collective Bargaining ,
Comment Period ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Joint Employers ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) ,
Proposed Rules ,
Public Comment ,
Unfair Labor Practices ,
Unions
Welcome news for U.S. employers—the federal government has issued new proposed rules that may lead to further temporary or permanent changes to the I-9 verification process. As set forth in the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking...more