The Minnesota legislature continues to be busy, amending and clarifying the sweeping paid sick and family leave laws it passed last year. While some of these amendments provide much needed clarification, others add further...more
Minnesota has joined the growing number of jurisdictions that have enacted paid family and/or medical leave programs for employees.1 On May 25, 2023, Governor Tim Walz signed HF 2, a Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML)...more
The Minnesota legislature has passed a sweeping Omnibus Jobs Bill that Governor Tim Walz has said he will sign. This legislation will significantly impact Minnesota employers in a variety of ways. Among other things, it will...more
5/19/2023
/ Breastfeeding ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Labor Reform ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Paid Time Off (PTO) ,
Parental Leave ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Safe Leave ,
Sick Leave ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
Minnesota will soon join the ranks of states with state-wide earned paid sick and safe leave requirements. The Minnesota legislature passed an Earned Sick and Safe Leave law (ESSL), and Governor Tim Walz has promised to sign...more
On January 19, 2023, St. Paul, Minnesota Mayor Melvin Carter signed into law amendments to the Earned Sick and Safe Time (ESST) Ordinance, which will take effect 30 days later, on February 18, 2023. Four days later, on...more
The mayor of Duluth, Minnesota recently signed File # 21-023-O, which, effective August 19, 2021, broadens covered uses of leave under the Earned Sick and Safe Time (ESST) Ordinance, and amends employer notice and enforcement...more
On February 3, 2021, the Minnesota Supreme Court held in Hall v. City of Plainview that a general disclaimer that a handbook should not be construed as a contract may not be effective to prevent a paid time off (PTO) policy...more
On June 10, 2020, the Minnesota Supreme Court held state law does not preempt the Minneapolis Sick and Safe Time Ordinance (SST Ordinance), and the ordinance can apply to employers located outside Minneapolis....more
Minnesota is moving forward with its phased approach to reopen businesses, but employers should be aware of both state and local requirements as they prepare to bring employees back to work and open their doors to customers...more
In Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad Corp. v. the Department of Labor, No. 18-2888 (8th Cir. Jan. 30, 2020), a case under the Federal Railroad Safety Act (FRSA), the Eighth Circuit reasserted that claimants must prove...more
3/4/2020
/ Adverse Employment Action ,
Federal Railroad Safety Act ,
Hiring & Firing ,
OSHA ,
Railways ,
Retaliation ,
Safety Standards ,
Whistleblower Protection Policies ,
Whistleblowers ,
Workplace Injury ,
Workplace Safety
The City of Duluth has published final rules and revised FAQs implementing its Earned Sick and Safe Time Ordinance. The Ordinance takes effect January 1, 2020 for employers with five or more employees, regardless of whether...more
11/11/2019
/ Accrual Requirements ,
Carryover Basis ,
Construction Workers ,
Earned Sick Time ,
Employee Definition ,
Employment Policies ,
Labor Regulations ,
Local Ordinance ,
Multi-Factor Test ,
Paid Time Off (PTO) ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Safe Leave ,
Sick Leave ,
State and Local Government ,
Wage and Hour
On April 25, 2017, by unanimous vote (8-0) vote, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a Native American tribe’s sovereign immunity from lawsuits does not extend to a tribal employee sued over actions he took within the scope of...more
The U.S. Supreme Court recently granted certiorari in Lewis v. Clarke, (No. 15-1500) addressing the issue of whether the sovereign immunity of an Indian Tribe bars individual-damages actions against tribal employees for torts...more
11/22/2016
/ Car Accident ,
Casino Employee ,
Casinos ,
Certiorari ,
Indian Gaming ,
Lewis v Clarke ,
Native American Issues ,
SCOTUS ,
Sovereign Immunity ,
Tribal Governments ,
Workplace Injury
Various whistleblower laws protect employees who "lawfully" disclose confidential information in good faith to bring to light illicit or illegal activity. Generally, therefore, employees do not receive whistleblower...more
The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, enacted on July 21, 2010, provides broad whistleblower protections to individuals who report certain possible violations of federal securities laws. Mindful that...more