On January 10, 2023, Governor Philip D. Murphy signed into law S3162 / A4768, which makes the 2020 amendments to NJ WARN effective 90 days from his signature, irrespective of whether a State of Emergency still exists....more
1/11/2023
/ Corporate Counsel ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Labor Reform ,
Layoff Notices ,
Layoffs ,
New Jersey ,
New Legislation ,
Notice Requirements ,
Severance Pay ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour ,
WARN Act
A bill advancing in the New Jersey Legislature would expedite the implementation of significant changes to the state’s WARN law. Back in January 2020, Governor Philip D. Murphy signed into law Senate Bill 3170, which...more
12/9/2022
/ Employer Liability Issues ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Labor Reform ,
Layoff Notices ,
Layoffs ,
New Jersey ,
Notice Requirements ,
Pending Legislation ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Severance Pay ,
State Labor Laws ,
WARN Act
On January 27, 2022, Washington Governor Jay Inslee signed House Bills 1732 and 1733, delaying and amending the Washington Cares Act (WA Cares). Notably, for employers, the bills delay the obligation to withhold WA Cares...more
In a statement on Friday, December 17, 2021, Washington Governor Jay Inslee announced that employers may wait to begin collecting premiums from employees for the new Washington Cares Act (WA Cares), while legislation is under...more
Sixteen months ago, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed into law Senate Bill 3170, which radically expands employers’ advance notice and severance pay obligations under the Millville Dallas Airmotive Plant Job Loss...more
Dear Littler: We are planning a layoff that will involve many of our employees who are working remotely during the pandemic. How do we decide who works at a particular location for WARN counting purposes?...more
On November 11, 2020, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed into law Assembly Bill A10674a. The legislation, which took effect immediately, amended the New York Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act by substantially...more
11/12/2020
/ Corporate Counsel ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Labor Regulations ,
Layoff Notices ,
Layoffs ,
New Legislation ,
Notice Requirements ,
Regulatory Standards ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
WARN Act
Dear Littler: At the start of the pandemic, our company—like countless others—had to furlough a number of our employees. We thought we’d be able to fully resume operations by the summer. Unfortunately, COVID-19 is still...more
Maryland recently enacted amendments to its Economic Stabilization Act to require that an employer implementing a “reduction in operations” must provide 60 days’ advance notice to employees and others, and also provide...more
After COVID-19 abates, employers may determine that they cannot return all employees to the workforce. Some employers may need to recall employees on a slower timeline depending on demand, social distancing imperatives, and...more
5/4/2020
/ Background Checks ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Drug Testing ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Form I-9 ,
Furloughs ,
Layoffs ,
Re-Opening Guidelines ,
Return-to-Work Agreements ,
WARN Act ,
Workplace Safety
Over the weekend, the Department of Labor published Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) addressing COVID-19 issues under the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN). The FAQs break little new legal...more
Late on April 20, 2020, the City of Philadelphia issued Temporary Emergency Regulations to the Philadelphia Notification of Intention to Close or Relocate Operations ordinance (Philadelphia WARN Act), continuing the trend of...more
Enacted as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, the federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) provides forgivable loans to businesses with 500 or fewer employees that have been adversely...more
New Jersey employers contemplating reductions in force can breathe a little easier, at least for a time....more
Reducing your New Jersey workforce just became more expensive.
On January 21, 2020, Governor Phil Murphy signed into law Senate Bill 3170. This bill radically expands employers’ advance notice and severance pay obligations...more
1/22/2020
/ Corporate Counsel ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Labor Regulations ,
Layoff Notices ,
Layoffs ,
New Legislation ,
Notice Requirements ,
Risk Mitigation ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
WARN Act
The start of a new year always brings a fresh batch of employment concerns. While some workplace issues are evergreen, 2020 will present some unique challenges for employers. This Littler Lightbulb highlights some significant...more
12/31/2019
/ Compensation & Benefits ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Dress Codes ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Hairstyle Discrimination ,
Labor Regulations ,
Labor Relations ,
Minimum Salary ,
Minimum Wage ,
New Legislation ,
NLRB ,
Over-Time ,
Payroll Periods ,
Perks ,
Salaried Employees ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Union Elections ,
Wage and Hour ,
White-Collar Exemptions
On December 11, 2019, the Washington Department of Labor & Industries announced its final rule amending Washington State’s white collar overtime exemption regulations. If not overridden by the Legislature or successfully...more
12/13/2019
/ Employer Liability Issues ,
Exempt-Employees ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Labor Regulations ,
Minimum Salary ,
Non-Exempt Employees ,
Over-Time ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Standard Duties Test ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Threshold Requirements ,
Wage and Hour ,
White-Collar Exemptions
Washington’s highest court has ruled that obesity is always an “impairment” under Washington’s Law Against Discrimination (WLAD), regardless of whether obesity is related to some other medical condition. ...more
On June 5, 2019, the Washington Department of Labor & Industries issued proposed amendments to Washington State’s white-collar overtime exemption regulations. Both under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and the...more
6/10/2019
/ Comment Period ,
Exempt-Employees ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Minimum Salary ,
Non-Exempt Employees ,
Over-Time ,
Proposed Amendments ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Standard Duties Test ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour ,
White-Collar Exemptions
Washington State has joined a number of other jurisdictions, including the Washington cities of Seattle and Spokane, by passing a “ban-the-box” law, known as the Washington Fair Chance Act (HB 1298). ...more
4/27/2018
/ Ban the Box ,
Conditional Job Offers ,
Criminal Background Checks ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Fair Chance Act ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Job Applicants ,
New Legislation ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws
A new Washington law (SB 6027) impacts the scope of discovery of a plaintiff’s medical records in litigation brought under Washington’s Law Against Discrimination (“WLAD”). The law will become effective on June 7, 2018....more
Washington has adopted four new laws addressing workplace harassment and discrimination. Three prohibit limitations on an employee’s disclosure or public pursuit of discrimination or harassment claims, while the fourth...more
4/27/2018
/ Anti-Harassment Policies ,
Best Practices ,
Disclosure ,
Dispute Resolution ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
New Legislation ,
Risk Management ,
Sex Discrimination ,
Sexual Harassment ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws
Washington State has joined the ranks of jurisdictions that have adopted expanded equal pay legislation. The Equal Pay Opportunity Act (EPOA) was signed into law on March 21, 2018, and will take effect on June 7, 2018....more
4/17/2018
/ Employer Liability Issues ,
Equal Pay ,
Gender Equity ,
Gender-Based Pay Discrimination ,
New Legislation ,
Pay Discrimination ,
Pay Equity Laws ,
Pay Gap ,
Sex Discrimination ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
A recent settlement shows that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) continues, from time to time, to take the position in litigation that an employee’s private release may not waive the employee’s right to...more
As employers wait to see whether – and to what extent – the U.S. Department of Labor will revise the minimum amount they must pay to executive, administrative, and professionals for exemption from the Fair Labor Standards...more