On May 1, 2019, the Massachusetts Department of Family and Medical Leave announced that it is extending two deadlines for compliance with the new Paid Family and Medical Leave Act....more
Three weeks ago, we reported on the Massachusetts Department of Family and Medical Leave’s new guide for employers on how to comply with the new Paid Family and Medical Leave Act (PFMLA). That alert can be found here. The...more
On April 25, 2019, a federal judge in Washington, D.C. set a September 30, 2019 deadline for employers to begin complying with the U.S. Equal Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) recently revived pay data collection rule....more
Less than a month after proposing an increase to the salary threshold for certain overtime exemptions, the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) has announced another possible rule change impacting the way employers pay employees...more
On March 7, 2019, after more than two years of speculation, the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) finally proposed its new overtime rule. Under the proposed rule, the minimum salary a worker would have to be paid to qualify...more
On February 19, 2019, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) adopted an employee-friendly standard for determining whether a plaintiff is entitled to an award of attorneys’ fees under the Massachusetts Wage Act where...more
On January 25, 2019, the National Labor Relations Board issued a decision revising the test for independent contractor status under federal labor law. In SuperShuttle DFW, Inc., the Board ruled that the test for determining...more
Last week, Governor Charlie Baker signed a landmark bill establishing a paid family and medical leave program for Massachusetts workers and gradually increasing the state minimum wage to $15.00 per hour. Described as a “grand...more
Since the 1950s, the U.S. Supreme Court has taken the view that the exemptions to the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”), which exempt employees from the FLSA’s minimum wage and overtime requirements, should be interpreted...more
The Massachusetts Attorney General (the “AG”) recently released her long-awaited guidance regarding the 2016 overhaul of the Massachusetts Equal Pay Act (the “Act”), which takes effect on July 1, 2018. The Act, which, among...more
On January 29, 2018, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) held that accrued, unused sick time does not qualify as “wages” under the Massachusetts Wage Act. As a result, employees cannot maintain Wage Act claims...more
In an otherwise quiet week in the world of employment law, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) issued an important decision limiting the scope of personal liability under the Massachusetts Wage Act. In Andrew Segal...more
On Tuesday, August 29, 2017, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) initiated a review of the EEOC’s pay data collection rule. As a result, the EEOC’s collection of pay data, which was to have begun on March...more
On July 28, 2017, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker signed the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (“PWFA”) into law. The PWFA, which will go into effect on April 1, 2018, requires that employers provide reasonable...more
Last week, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (“SJC”) resolved a contested issue under the Massachusetts Wage Act, ruling that successful Wage Act plaintiffs are entitled to prejudgment interest on the unpaid wages and...more
On June 27, 2017, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) made two announcements that signal a change of direction for the new Administration. First, the DOL announced in a press release that it would return to its decades-long...more
Earlier this month, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio signed a bill prohibiting employers from asking job candidates about their salary history. The new law will go into effect on October 31, 2017....more
Last week, the Massachusetts House of Representatives unanimously passed the Massachusetts Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (H.3680). If the bill becomes law, it will expand employment protections for pregnant workers in...more
In a recent decision, a Massachusetts Superior Court judge clarified the standard for determining whether employers must pay employees for time spent on meal breaks under Massachusetts law. In Devito v. Longwood Security...more
While the federal Department of Labor’s new overtime rule remains enjoined pending an appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, the New York Department of Labor (NYDOL) has moved forward with its own changes...more
On November 22, 2016, a federal judge in Texas issued a nationwide injunction preventing the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) from implementing its new overtime rule. The rule – which would have raised the salary threshold...more
On December 1, 2016, the U.S. Department of Labor’s new overtime rule will take effect. Most significantly, effective December 1, 2016, the minimum salary a worker must be paid to qualify for the executive, administrative,...more
On August 1, 2016, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker signed the Pay Equity Act (the “Act”) into law. The Act, which goes into effect on January 1, 2018, is designed to close the wage gap between men and women. Although...more
On July 13, 2016, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced revisions to its proposed pay data collection rule, which would require employers with 100 or more employees to annually report employee pay data...more
On May 18, 2016, the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) issued its final rule revising the so-called “white collar” exemptions under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”). Most significantly, the rule raises the minimum salary...more