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Maine’s Governor Vetoes Bill to Regulate Commercial Sales of Marijuana

On November 3, 2017, Maine Governor Paul LePage announced that he had vetoed a bill sent to his desk with tepid support that would have taxed and regulated the commercial sale of recreational marijuana. The veto prolongs a...more

Massachusetts Veterans May Be Entitled to Paid Leave on Veterans Day

Massachusetts employers are reminded that, per legislation signed by Governor Charlie Baker in July 2016, qualifying veterans scheduled to work on Veterans Day who wish to participate in Veterans Day activities in their...more

Rhode Island Employees May Soon Be Entitled to Paid Sick Time

On September 19, 2017, the Rhode Island General Assembly approved a bill that would require, with limited exception, all Rhode Island employers with 18 or more employees to provide their employees with paid sick time. The...more

Rhode Island Court Gives Assignability of Employee Non-Competes a Haircut

Last month, a Rhode Island trial court held that a hairdresser’s noncompetition agreement with the salon for which she had been working, which sold its assets to a successor salon, was not transferable to the successor...more

Positive No More: Rhode Island Employers Need to Think Twice Before Denying Employment Based on a Positive Drug Test

In a recently issued trial court decision, Callaghan v. Darlington Fabrics Corp., a Rhode Island Superior Court justice held that an employer could not deny employment to an applicant licensed under state law to possess and...more

Right to Light? Maine’s New Marijuana Law Prohibits Employers from Discriminating Against Recreational Users

An important provision in the recreational marijuana ballot initiative approved by Maine voters back in November has so far generated limited buzz among Maine employers, but they will need to pay closer attention now that key...more

The Employment Law Implications of the Marijuana Ballot Initiatives

On November 8, 2016, voters in several states passed medical or recreational marijuana measures each of which will likely impact employers. As this area of law is developing quickly, and since the Trump administration’s...more

New Massachusetts Amendments Related to Gender Identity Discrimination Go Into Effect October 1: What Massachusetts Employers...

The Massachusetts Legislature recently amended the General Laws of Massachusetts, Chapter 272 (M.G.L. ch. 272), to prohibit discrimination in places of public accommodation based on an individual’s gender identity. The...more

Ogletree Governmental Affairs State Round-Up

In the past few months, a number of state and local developments have emerged that are likely to resonate across the country. The following is a tour of some of the most recent and significant state-specific legislation,...more

Employers’ Bundle of Joy: The Rhode Island General Assembly Passes Mandatory Reasonable Accommodation Law for Pregnant and Nursing...

On June 25, 2015, the Rhode Island General Assembly passed and Governor Gina M. Raimondo signed legislation making it an unlawful employment practice under the state’s Fair Employment Practices Act for an employer to refuse...more

Rhode Island Enacts Legislation Authorizing the Use of Electronic Pay Cards

On July 10, 2015, the Rhode Island General Assembly sent Governor Gina Raimondo a compromise measure (House Bill 5590/Senate Bill 351) that would allow Rhode Island employers—for the first time in the state’s history—to pay...more

8/4/2015  /  New Legislation , Payroll Cards , Wages

Rhode Island Raises Minimum Wage Again: Now $9.60 per Hour

On June 22, 2015, Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo signed into law another increase to the state’s minimum wage. This marks the fourth straight year that Rhode Island has raised its minimum wage. Effective January 1,...more

Rhode Island and Federal Officials Agree to Cooperate in Investigating Independent Contractor Misclassification

On May 7, 2015, the Wage and Hour Division (WHD) of the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training (RI-DLT) entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in which they agreed to...more

Massachusetts Enacts Parental Leave for Both Mothers and Fathers

In one of his last acts as governor, former-Governor Deval Patrick signed into law on January 7, 2015 an amendment to the previous Massachusetts Maternity Leave Law that extends eight weeks of unpaid leave to both male and...more

Intern Sues Company in First-of-its-Kind Discrimination Suit under Rhode Island’s Medical Marijuana Law

A graduate student has filed suit with the help of the Rhode Island chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union against a textile manufacturer that allegedly rescinded an offer for a paid internship because the student is a...more

Retailers Can Avoid Holiday Headaches in New England by Complying With Holiday Pay Laws

In addition to the restrictions on opening in certain New England states, retailers with stores in Massachusetts and Rhode Island should also be aware of their obligation to pay their employees holiday pay (i.e.,...more

Rhode Island Enacts Employee Social Media Privacy Legislation

Rhode Island has recently enacted legislation intended to protect job applicants’ and employees’ social media accounts and information. The new law prohibits employers from requiring job applicants or employees to disclose...more

Another Increase in the Rhode Island Minimum Wage to $9/Hour

On July 3, 2014, Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee signed into law a measure that will raise the state’s minimum wage to $9.00 per hour, effective January 1, 2015. The legislation, which will increase the state’s minimum...more

Rhode Island General Assembly to Consider Lowering Standard for Employees to Bring Retaliation Claims

The Rhode Island General Assembly is considering amending the state’s Fair Employment Practices Act (FEPA) to make it easier for employees to sue their employers for discrimination-based retaliation. Under FEPA, employees can...more

Employer Failed to Establish Tortious Interference by Current Employees Who Were Secretly Operating a Competing Business

An employer failed to show that its former employees tortiously interfered with its current and prospective customers, even though they had been secretly operating a competing business while working for the employer. In...more

A Bit Too Far: Employee’s Alleged Self-Defense Fails To Sway NH Justices On His Wrongful Discharge Claim

Could an employee be fired by his employer for actions he claimed were done in self-defense? In Leeds v. BAE Systems, No. 2012-599 (November 5, 2013), the New Hampshire Supreme Court found that he could where the employee’s...more

Rhode Island Raises The Minimum Wage

As of January 1, 2014, the minimum wage in Rhode Island will jump $0.25 to $8.00 per hour. This is the second time in as many years that the General Assembly has voted to raise the minimum wage. The last increase occurred in...more

8/29/2013  /  Minimum Wage , Wages

New Rhode Island Legislation Will Allow Bi-Monthly Payment Of Wages

On July 15, 2013, Rhode Island passed highly anticipated legislation that will allow employers to pay their employees on a bi-monthly basis (rather than weekly, as the law had previously required)....more

Rhode Island Employers May No Longer Ask About Criminal Convictions On Employment Applications

Rhode Island has joined a growing number of states that prohibit employers from inquiring on job applications about applicants’ criminal histories. Previously, Rhode Island law prevented employers from asking about arrests...more

New Rhode Island Temporary Caregiver Insurance Benefits Become Effective January 1, 2014

New Temporary Caregiver Insurance Benefits Become Effective January 1, 2014 Beginning January 1, 2014, all employees regardless of their employer’s size will be eligible for up to four weeks of leave under the Temporary...more

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