The new Federal Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (“PWFA”), effective June 27, 2023, purports to expand current federal protections by requiring certain employers to provide “reasonable accommodations” to a worker’s known...more
Mental health issues in the workplace are at an all-time high. And with those issues come a slew of accommodation requests ranging from continued work from home to removal of stressful job duties to not appearing on camera...more
6/2/2023
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Disability Discrimination ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
Failure to Accommodate ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Interactive Process ,
Job Duties ,
Mental Health ,
Reasonable Accommodation
On September 7, 2022, the National Labor Relations Board ("NLRB”) published a proposed rule (“Proposed Rule”) rescinding and replacing its current rule for determining joint-employer status under the National Labor Relations...more
Pursuant to the new law legalizing recreational marijuana in Rhode Island, private employers are now prohibited from firing or taking other disciplinary action against an employee for recreational marijuana use outside the...more
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
Beginning October 1, 2020, the minimum wage that employers must pay Rhode Island employees increases to $11.50 per hour. All employers must pay this minimum wage regardless of the employers’ size and revenue. Employers should...more
Rhode Island and Massachusetts have joined the growing list of states that are enacting orders requiring citizens to quarantine for up to two weeks after traveling to other states. These travel restrictions often prohibit...more
8/27/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ,
Health and Safety ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Quarantine ,
Remote Working ,
Staffing Agencies ,
State Labor Laws ,
Travel Restrictions ,
Vacation Leave ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
On July 15, 2019, Rhode Island’s Governor signed into law the Rhode Island Noncompetition Agreement Act (the “Act”), limiting the enforceability of restrictive covenants with certain employees. Its limited applicability...more
Certain Obligations Take Effect on July 1 - What Employers Need to Know Now -
THE BASICS. Massachusetts has enacted yet another new leave law. Paid Family and Medical Leave (“PFML”) provides employees with job protected...more
On Friday, August 10, 2018, Governor Charlie Baker signed into law An Act (the “Act”) relative to the judicial enforcement of noncompetition agreements that fundamentally changes the way noncompetition agreements are...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
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
Marijuana is a Schedule I drug under the federal Controlled Substances Act, and the use, sale and possession of marijuana remains illegal under federal law. In recent years, however, a majority of states (at last count, 29...more
Are you sleeping better knowing that you have purchased Employment Practices Liability Insurance (“EPLI”) to cover your company against employment claims? Well it may be time to wake up....more
Last month, the Rhode Island Fair Employment Practices Act was amended to require employers with 4 or more employees to provide reasonable accommodations to employees and prospective employees with a “condition”. Such...more
It is summertime and the schools are out. You get a call from an eager college student offering to intern at your company for free. It seems like a win-win situation, right? Your company wins by having someone finally get...more