On November 7, 2019, a bill was introduced in the New Jersey legislature that would, like California’s AB 5, make it much more difficult for companies to classify workers as independent contractors....more
The California legislature and Governor Gavin Newsom considered and ultimately passed a number of significant laws in 2019 that will affect California employers beginning January 1, 2020. The new laws – some of which were...more
10/31/2019
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Arbitration Agreements ,
Employee Definition ,
Employee Training ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Governor Newsom ,
Hairstyle Discrimination ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Independent Contractors ,
Misclassification ,
Race Discrimination ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
A new wage theft ordinance coming to the City of Minneapolis in 2020 places more stringent requirements on employers than the new statewide wage theft law that took effect on July 1, 2019. On August 8, the Minneapolis City...more
Effective July 1, 2019, all Minnesota employers are subject to new record-keeping and written notice requirements intended to discourage and punish employer “wage theft” and provide added transparency to workers about the...more
Minnesota employers should familiarize themselves and prepare to comply with new record-keeping and written notice requirements of the wage theft provisions that are set to go into effect on July 1, 2019 and that will likely...more
Multiple pieces of legislation that would materially affect Minnesota employers if passed into law are currently under consideration by the Minnesota legislature. The new bills cover paid family and medical leave, paid sick...more
Class action claims against employers for seemingly technical violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) continue to gain momentum, reminding employers to carefully review their background check forms. In the most...more
Continuing its active involvement in regulating the employer-employee relationship, in 2018 the California legislature again enacted many new laws affecting California employers....more
12/18/2018
/ Board of Directors ,
Diversity ,
Employee Training ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
FEHA ,
Human Trafficking ,
Lactation Accommodation ,
Paid Family Leave Law ,
Paid Leave ,
Popular ,
Retaliation ,
Sexual Harassment ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety
Whether launching an innovative startup or opening a new office in the U.S. for an established international business, employers should be aware of important immigration and compliance considerations.
This article provides...more
8/23/2018
/ Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Employee Handbooks ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Entrepreneurs ,
Foreign Workers ,
Form I-9 ,
H-1B ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigrants ,
Independent Contractors ,
Startups ,
Temporary Protected Status ,
Wage and Hour
Nearly all Massachusetts employers, as well as out-of-state employers with employees whose primary place of work is in Massachusetts, will be covered by the new Massachusetts Equal Pay Act (MEPA) beginning July 1, 2018. By...more
California’s strict rules prohibiting harassment and discrimination based on protected classes, including national origin, are getting stricter on July 1, 2018. New regulations under the Fair Employment and Housing Act...more
Following its pattern in recent years, in 2017 the California legislature enacted many new laws affecting California employers.
The new laws address several topics, including: -
Broader gender-related discrimination,...more
1/17/2018
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Contractors ,
Criminal Background Checks ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Exempt-Employees ,
Fair Pay Act ,
FEHA ,
Form I-9 ,
Gender Identity ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Job Applicants ,
Minimum Wage ,
Parental Leave ,
Retaliation ,
Salary/Wage History ,
Wage and Hour
Effective January 1, 2018, public and private employers in the state of California will be required to provide employees with prior notice of any federal immigration enforcement action, among other obligations....more
Beginning January 1, 2018, California employers will no longer be able to ask job applicants about their salary history. California joins a small but growing group of states and cities that have enacted similar measures,...more
On July 1, 2017, the Minneapolis Sick and Safe Leave Ordinance and the St. Paul Earned Sick and Safe Time Ordinance are scheduled to take effect. Businesses with employees in Minneapolis or St. Paul that have not yet become...more
On January 20, 2017, White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus issued a memorandum addressed to the heads of executive departments and agencies, including the Department of Labor (DOL), instructing them to freeze new or...more
The Washington, D.C. Council recently passed the Universal Paid Leave Act of 2016 (UPLA), one of the nation’s most generous paid family and medical leave proposals to date. The bill will become law upon signature or inaction...more
The California legislature enacted many new laws in 2016 affecting California employers, many of which are summarized below. All employers with operations in California should be aware of these new laws and consult with...more
12/28/2016
/ Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Background Checks ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Criminal Background Checks ,
Employee Restrooms ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Fair Chance Act ,
Fair Pay Act ,
FEHA ,
Human Trafficking ,
Labor Code ,
Minimum Wage ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Retaliation ,
Unpaid Wages ,
Wage and Hour
The U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) new minimum salary rule for the “white collar” exemption may not take effect on December 1, 2016, as scheduled. On November 22, U.S. District Court Judge Amos Mazzant of the Eastern...more
In a win for employers, the California Court of Appeal recently held that employers are not required to include the monetary amount of accrued vacation pay or paid time off (PTO) in its employees’ wage statements until a...more
Employees who primarily reside and work in California will soon have additional grounds to void forum selection and choice of law provisions included in employment-related agreements.
Senate Bill 1241 -
Under...more
Paid leave — as previously reported in our March legal update, “The Push for Paid Sick, Family and Medical Leave in Minnesota” — has been a hot topic in Minnesota this spring. Although none of the bills addressing statewide...more
As we predicted last week in “Release of Final DOL Exempt Employee Salary Rule Likely Imminent,” on May 18, 2016, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued its final rule increasing the Fair Labor Standards Act’s (FLSA)...more
On March 16, 2016, the Minneapolis Workplace Regulations Partnership Group (WPG) presented its findings and recommendations concerning paid sick time to the Minneapolis City Council’s Committee of the Whole. With many members...more
Legislation was recently introduced in the Minnesota House of Representatives and Minnesota Senate that is being referred to by its authors as the “Working Parents Act” that would significantly expand the scope of several...more