Massachusetts will be joining the growing number of states requiring pay ranges be included in advertisements and provided in certain other circumstances....more
On April 23, 2024, the Department of Labor (“DOL”) announced a final rule (the “Rule”) increasing the salary threshold employers must pay to most exempt workers. Given the anticipated litigation over the Rule and the...more
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) published a new rule (the “New Rule”) on January 9, 2024, defining “independent contractor” under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Effective March 11, 2024, the rule returns to a...more
Recent amendments to the Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) law now allow employees to use accrued paid leave, such as sick time, vacation time and personal days, to supplement PFML benefits at any time during...more
It is that time of year again, when the Rhode Island legislature ends its session and passes a number of laws that affect businesses with Rhode Island based employees. 2023 was no different. Following is a short summary of...more
7/21/2023
/ Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Employment Policies ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Holidays ,
Independent Contractors ,
Misclassification ,
New Legislation ,
Non-Disclosure Agreement ,
Private Right of Action ,
Rhode Island ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour ,
Wage Theft
The Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training’s (“RIDLT”) much anticipated Proposed Regulations (“Regulations”) to the Rhode Island Pay Equity Law (the “Act”) have arrived. As we previously discussed, on July 6, 2021,...more
6/6/2022
/ Comment Period ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Notice Requirements ,
Pay Discrimination ,
Pay Equity Laws ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Public Comment ,
Rhode Island ,
Safe Harbors ,
Self-Evaluations ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
It is well known that if a Massachusetts employer terminates an employee, the employer risks being liable for three times the amount of wages owed if payment is not made on the last day of employment. A lesser known corollary...more
Minimum Wage Increase -
As set forth by legislation passed in 2018, the minimum wage in Massachusetts will increase to $14.25 per hour on January 1, 2022. This amounts to a 75-cent jump from the current minimum wage of...more
On July 6, 2021, Rhode Island Governor Daniel McKee signed Pay Equity legislation (the “Act”) (H 5261A, S 0270A) into law. The Act is a broad piece of legislation that applies to all employers. While the Act does not go into...more
7/15/2021
/ Affirmative Defenses ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Enforcement ,
Notice Requirements ,
Pay Discrimination ,
Pay Equity Laws ,
Protected Class ,
Safe Harbors ,
Salary/Wage History ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
Governor Baker has signed a mandatory emergency paid sick leave law (“EPSL”) requiring that every Massachusetts employer provide up to 40 hours of paid leave to employees for certain reasons relating to COVID-19. The payment...more
As most employers know, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) went into effect in April of 2020 and required employers with less than 500 employees to provide certain forms of paid COVID-related leave to...more
A federal court in New York (“Court”) recently struck down a number of important provisions contained within the Final Rule issued by the Department of Labor (“DOL”) interpreting the Families First Coronavirus Relief Act...more
8/12/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ,
Final Rules ,
Health Care Providers ,
Intermittent Leave ,
Paid Leave ,
Paid Time Off (PTO) ,
Required Documentation ,
Sick Leave ,
Wage and Hour
With more and more individuals taking on the so-called “side hustle” of driving for Uber or even entirely leaving the traditional 9 to 5 work life and opting to make the “gig economy” work as their full time occupation,...more
2/19/2020
/ Arbitration Agreements ,
Employee Definition ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Employment Litigation ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Gig Economy ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Independent Contractors ,
Labor Regulations ,
Misclassification ,
Right to Control ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
On Tuesday, September 24, 2019, the United States Department of Labor (“Department”) announced its much anticipated Final Rule raising the salary threshold necessary to exempt certain executive, administrative, and...more
As has been widely rumored, the Commonwealth has decided to delay the July 1 implementation of the Massachusetts paid family and medical leave law (“PFML”). A joint statement by Massachusetts Governor, Charlie Baker, Senate...more
As we indicated in our prior client alerts on the new Massachusetts paid family and medical leave law (“PFML”), while the first phase of the law goes into effect on July 1, the PFML’s procedural requirements and operational...more
Again? -
In a case of what must feel like déjà vu for employers, on March 7, 2019, after conducting “listening sessions” across the country and receiving tens of thousands of comments from the public, the United States...more
The much anticipated Rhode Island Sick and Safe Leave Time Law (the “new law”) will go into effect next week and impacts virtually all Rhode Island employers. While the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training has...more
As described in our prior publications, an Act to Establish Pay Equity in Massachusetts (the “Equal Pay Law”) will go into effect on July 1, 2018. In basic terms, the Equal Pay Law requires Massachusetts employers to pay the...more
The Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training (DLT) has finally released its proposed regulations, 260-RICR-30-05-5 regarding the Rhode Island Healthy and Safe Families and Workplaces Act (the “Sick Leave Law”). As we...more
The time has come for Massachusetts’ employers to start preparing for the implementation of the law entitled An Act to Establish Pay Equity (the “Law”) that will go into effect on July 1, 2018. The Law represents a...more
As we previously reported, in March of 2014, President Obama unilaterally directed the Department of Labor (DOL) to review and update the requirements necessary for an employee to be considered “exempt” from overtime. The DOL...more
As we first reported in June of last year President Obama directed the Department of Labor to review and update the regulations governing exemptions for executive, administrative, professional and other employees under the...more
In June we alerted you to the fact that the Department of Labor (“DOL”) was planning to increase the minimum weekly salary an employee must be paid in order to qualify for an exemption from overtime. Since that time, the DOL...more
On June 29, 2015, President Obama announced a Department of Labor rule change aimed at raising wages for up to five million people as soon as 2016. Currently, with some exceptions, Americans who make less than $23,660...more