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Federal Agencies Release Much-Anticipated Guidance on DEI in the Workplace

On March 19, 2025, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) and the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) issued joint guidance highlighting workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion (“DEI”) practices that may...more

NLRB Shakeup – General Counsel Scraps Dozens of Biden-Era Policy Memoranda

On February 14, 2025, the Acting General Counsel of the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB” or the “Board”) issued General Counsel Memorandum 25-05 (“GC 25-05”), which rescinded dozens of previously issued memoranda and...more

Massachusetts and Connecticut to Expand Paid Sick Leave Benefits for Employees

Massachusetts - Starting November 21, 2024, all Massachusetts employers covered by the state’s Earned Sick Time Law will be required to allow employees to use sick time for certain reproductive losses. This change comes...more

Massachusetts and Connecticut Both Set to Expand Scope of Benefits for Sick Employees

Massachusetts Earned Sick Time Law - Once again, Massachusetts is among the vanguard of U.S. states in providing employee leave benefits. Starting November 21, 2024, all Massachusetts employers covered by the state’s...more

Connecticut Legislature Passes Significant Expansion of Paid Sick Leave Benefits for Employees

On May 6, 2024, the Connecticut Senate passed legislation that, once signed into law, will significantly expand the State’s paid sick leave statute, including broadening the statute’s scope to cover almost all employers and...more

DOL Announces Final Rule Increasing Minimum Salary Levels for FLSA Overtime Exemptions

On April 23, 2024, the United States Department of Labor (DOL) released its highly anticipated final overtime rule, which increases the threshold salary levels for the “white collar” and “highly compensated employee” overtime...more

Ongoing Battle Between Students and Universities Over Pandemic-era Campus Closures

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, hundreds of lawsuits (many styled as class actions) have been filed by college and university students seeking tuition and fee refunds due to campus closures during the Spring 2020 semester....more

MCAD Announces Draft of Updated Harassment Guidelines and Seeks Public Comment

On January 25, 2024, the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD – see Note 1) announced new draft guidelines titled “Guidelines on Harassment in the Workplace” (the “Draft Guidelines”). The Draft Guidelines are...more

Rhode Island Employers Take Note – New Penalties for Wage & Hour Violations Begin January 1, 2024

As of January 1, 2024, a new amendment to the Rhode Island Payment of Wages Act, R.I. Gen. Laws § 28-14-1, et seq. (the “Wage Act”) will impose criminal liability for certain wage and hour violations by Rhode Island...more

MA Federal Court Issues Favorable Ruling for Employers in Case Involving COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate and Request for Religious...

On July 20, 2023, the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts dismissed an employee’s Title VII lawsuit, by which she challenged her employer’s denial of her request for religious exemption from a...more

DHS Announces New Form I-9 and Remote Inspection Option Designed to Modernize I-9 Process for Employers

On July 21, 2023, the United States Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”), the parent agency of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”), announced that a new version of the Form I-9 will be...more

U.S. Supreme Court “Clarifies” Religious Accommodation Standard After Nearly Half a Century

On June 29, 2023, the United States Supreme Court issued a significant decision in Groff v. DeJoy, No. 22-174 (June 29, 2023), in which it “clarified” the religious accommodation standard under Title VII of the Civil Rights...more

Largest Ever FLSA Verdict Underscores Importance of Employer Compliance with Wage and Hour Laws

Last week, a federal jury returned a more than $22 million verdict – the largest recorded award under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”) to date – against East Penn Manufacturing Co., Inc. (“East Penn”), one of the world’s...more

Concrete Steps Employers Should Consider When Drafting Severance Agreements in the Wake of McLaren Macomb

As detailed in our prior client alert, the recent decision issued by the National Labor Relations Board (the “Board”) in McLaren Macomb reverses Trump-era Board rulings that gave employers wide latitude to utilize broad...more

Employers Beware – Your Confidentiality Provisions May Come Back to Bite You

For many employers, it is standard protocol to include non-disparagement clauses and confidentiality provisions in employee severance agreements. However, all employers should note that the National Labor Relations Board (the...more

Client Alert: Garden Leave Payments Under MA Noncompetition Agreement Act Not Covered by Wage Act

A Massachusetts Federal District Court has held that an employer’s garden leave payments to a former employee pursuant to a non-compete provision are not considered “wages” under the Massachusetts Wage Act. As a...more

Department of Labor Seeks to Alter Independent Contractor Classification

On October 13, 2022, the United States Department of Labor (DOL) published a proposed rule that seeks to alter the test for determining whether a worker is an independent contractor or an employee under the federal Fair Labor...more

NLRB Proposes Expanded Standard for Joint-Employer Status

On September 6, 2022, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) regarding the standard for determining joint-employer status under the National Labor Relations Act...more

CDC Relaxes COVID-19 Safety Recommendations in Updated Guidance

Last week, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued updated COVID-19 guidance. This update loosens prior guidelines regarding social distancing, testing, and isolation, with the agency noting that...more

The First Circuit Dismisses Former UMass Students’ Appeal Challenging Vaccine Policies as Moot

On Thursday, August 4, 2022, the First Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed as moot an appeal that was brought by two former University of Massachusetts students claiming that the schools’ vaccine policies were unconstitutional...more

Rhode Island Enacts “Tip Protection” Law

On June 28, 2022, Rhode Island enacted new “tip protection” legislation. The law, which applies to all employers of tipped employees, prohibits employers from retaining employee tips, creates new requirements for tip pools,...more

Employment Law Updates for Massachusetts and Rhode Island Employers

THE LEGALIZATION OF MARIJUANA IN RHODE ISLAND: WHAT EMPLOYERS NEED TO KNOW - On May 26th, Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee signed legislation legalizing recreational marijuana use for adults 21 years of age and older,...more

Race-Conscious Admissions Policies Set for Review by Supreme Court

In January 2022, the United States Supreme Court stated that it would hear arguments in Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard College, through which it will review the role of race in the college...more

Massachusetts Emergency Paid Sick Leave to End March 15

On February 28, 2022, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts announced that its COVID-19 Emergency Paid Sick Leave (“MEPSL”) law will come to an end, effective March 15, 2022. Until that time, employers must still comply with...more

City of Boston Lifts Mask Mandate, Effective March 5th

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has announced that the city’s mask mandate for indoor businesses will be lifted, effective Saturday, March 5th. Beginning Saturday, Boston indoor businesses, such as gyms, bars and restaurants,...more

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