On February 22, 2021, Governor Murphy signed three separate cannabis reform bills into law that formally legalize the use and possession of recreational marijuana in the Garden state: (1) the “New Jersey Cannabis Regularly,...more
The New York City Council is planning to evaluate how effectively both the City, as an employer, and private employers disseminated and implemented COVID-19 workplace guidance over the past year with the goal of strengthening...more
Along with a host of other laws across the country, Colorado’s Equal Pay for Equal Work Act (“Act”) went into effect on January 1, 2021. Among other measures, the Act requires all employers—located anywhere in the United...more
2/10/2021
/ Colorado ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Equal Pay ,
Equal Pay Act ,
Gender Equity ,
Gender-Based Pay Discrimination ,
Pay Equity Laws ,
Pay Gap ,
Pay Transparency ,
State and Local Government ,
Wage and Hour
Last summer, we reported on Virginia’s adoption of an “Emergency Temporary Standard for Infection Disease Prevention: SARS-CoV-2 Virus That Causes COVID-19” (the “Temporary Standard”), which made Virginia the first state to...more
The District of Columbia is bracing for a transition. But while employers across the country wait to see what changes the Biden Administration may bring, Washington, D.C. employers should prepare for a drastic and imminent...more
On October 1, 2020, numerous laws in Maryland providing expanded protections for both existing employees and job applicants addressing race and sex discrimination, pay equity, and wage transparency went into effect. As we...more
As many employers approach their one-year anniversary of working from home, it is obvious that the COVID-19 pandemic has permanently changed both how and where we work. By 2025, an estimated 36.2 million Americans will be...more
The year 2020 brought significant changes nationwide to how and where employees work and expanded the legal landscape. The expectations of employer compliance with employment law, however, remained unchanged. In New Jersey,...more
Non-compete agreements may all but disappear from the Washington, D.C. employment landscape in 2021. On December 15, 2020, the District of Columbia Council voted 12-0 to approve the Ban on Non-Compete Agreements Amendment...more
Just one week after ordering new business restrictions to combat the recent surge of COVID-19, Governor Larry Hogan announced further mitigation measures in Maryland that will dial back business operations....more
New York State amended its Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (“NY WARN Act”), effective November 11, 2020 (“Amendment”), to expand significantly the governmental entities that must receive notice of a NY WARN...more
As COVID-19 cases continue to rise across the nation, the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia all recently have implemented additional mitigation measures that impact business operations. Below is a summary of the...more
Take a deep breath. Now exhale. While the country awaits the results of the presidential race and many others that are still too close to call, the 2020 election made one thing clear: the march toward 50-state legalization of...more
Although cannabis (marijuana) remains an illegal substance under federal law, companies in the cannabis industry are not exempt from complying with federal laws in general. A recent flurry of complaints filed in federal...more
As COVID-19 cases once again surge across the country, Washington, D.C. employers must remember to provide both paid and unpaid leave under the new District of Columbia Coronavirus Support Temporary Amendment Act of 2020...more
While we all intuitively know that we should stay home when we are feeling unwell, a fall 2019 survey suggests just the opposite—that approximately 90% of workers generally “push through” and come to work anyway. The reality...more
9/18/2020
/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Employment Policies ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Public Health ,
Re-Opening Guidelines ,
Return-to-Work Agreements ,
Sick Employees ,
Sick Leave ,
Workplace Safety
The U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) recently published revised Family and Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”) notification and certification forms designed to streamline the FMLA leave process. The forms took effect immediately and...more
Philadelphia is making sure employers err on the side of caution when it comes to COVID-19. As of June 26, 2020, Philadelphia-based employees have additional protections from retaliation through the unanimously passed the...more
While much attention is currently focused on whether Congress will extend, in whole or in part, the emergency $600 increase in unemployment insurance benefits (“UI”) that, until July 31, 2020, had been provided by the CARES...more
While the country remains focused on the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. employers cannot ignore the ongoing opioid epidemic or how it may affect their workforces. On August 5, 2020, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission...more
8/11/2020
/ Adverse Employment Action ,
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) ,
New Guidance ,
Opioid ,
Pain Management ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Substance Abuse
The times they are a-changin’ and Washington’s rules relating to overtime pay are changing with them. Effective July 1, 2020, the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (“L&I”) has updated the criteria for workers...more
July 1, 2020 represents a milestone for Virginia employers. As we previously reported, nearly two dozen new employment laws take effect, including the Virginia Values Act. In addition, all of Virginia enters Phase Three of...more
For the last two weeks, Texas is continuing to break records for daily coronavirus cases and hospitalizations. According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, on June 23, 2020 Texas had the highest daily number of...more
Virginia may be for lovers, but it no longer loves non-compete agreements. Starting on July 1, 2020, employers may not “enter into, enforce, or threaten to enforce” a non-compete agreement with any “low-wage employee.” As...more
Failing a drug test may not kill the buzz for medical marijuana patients in the Empire State. In contrast to courts in California and other jurisdictions, a New York state court has held that medical marijuana users are...more
5/14/2020
/ Disability Discrimination ,
Drug Testing ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Marijuana ,
Medical Marijuana ,
NYCHRL ,
Protected Class ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Zero Tolerance Policies