When I reflect on the relationship that our firm has with our clients, I’m most proud of the fact that you can always count on us. That often means defending complex litigation, steering you through regulatory threats,...more
12/4/2023
/ 401k ,
Acquisitions ,
Affirmative Action ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Automotive Industry ,
Bias ,
California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) ,
Car Dealerships ,
Chevron Deference ,
Child Labor ,
College Admissions ,
Colleges ,
Construction Industry ,
Consumer Privacy Rights ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Deletion ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Security ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Diversity ,
E-Verify ,
Educational Institutions ,
EEO-1 ,
Electronic Records ,
Employee Handbooks ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Eligibility Verification ,
Employment Litigation ,
Employment Policies ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
EU ,
Exempt-Employees ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Foreign Workers ,
Form I-9 ,
H-1B ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare Facilities ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Highly Compensated Employees ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
Human Resources Professionals ,
International Labor Laws ,
Joint Employers ,
Jury Verdicts ,
L-1 Visas ,
Labor Reform ,
Labor Relations ,
Labor Shortage ,
Manufacturing Employers ,
Mergers ,
Mexico ,
Name and Likeness ,
New Legislation ,
New Rules ,
NLRB ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
OFCCP ,
OSHA ,
Over-Time ,
Pay Data ,
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Payroll Taxes ,
Privacy Laws ,
Professional Employer Organization ,
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Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Recruitment Policies ,
Remote Working ,
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Restaurant Industry ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
Retirement Plan ,
Salaried Employees ,
Scheduling Letters ,
School Districts ,
School Policies ,
SCOTUS ,
SECURE Act ,
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Sports ,
Staffing Agencies ,
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State of Emergency ,
Student Athletes ,
Student Loans ,
Students ,
Tip Credit ,
Title IX ,
Trade Secrets ,
Transgender ,
Union Organizers ,
Unions ,
Universities ,
USCIS ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety ,
Workplace Violence
It’s never easy to make accurate predictions about what we might expect to see in the workplace in the coming year. After all:
- At the start of 2020, no one could have predicted COVID-19.
- None of us had heard the phrase...more
11/1/2022
/ Affirmative Action ,
Background Checks ,
Blockchain ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Corporate Governance ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Security ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Privacy Rights ,
Employee Retention ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Gig Economy ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Labor Relations ,
Leave of Absence ,
Pay Equity Laws ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Trade Secrets ,
Vaccinations ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu just lifted the city’s proof-of-COVID-19 vaccine mandate for indoor businesses, effective immediately. The city’s February 18 announcement was based on public health data, citing a recent drop in...more
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu just announced the city will require proof of COVID-19 vaccination for entry into indoor dining, entertainment, recreation, and fitness establishments. Other municipal leaders in Greater Boston have...more
Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker just signed legislation extending the statewide mandate for employers to provide emergency paid leave related to COVID-19. These COVID-19 Paid Leave obligations will now continue until...more
Acting Boston Mayor Kim Janey just announced a resumption of an indoor mask mandate for all indoor areas open to the public within the City of Boston effective at 8:00 AM on Friday, August 27. The renewed mask mandate is one...more
Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker signed legislation on May 28 creating another statewide mandate for employers to provide emergency paid leave related to COVID-19. The COVID-19 Paid Leave obligations outlined in this...more
6/2/2021
/ American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Eligibility ,
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ,
Governor Baker ,
Intermittent Leave ,
Paid Leave ,
Paid Sick Leave ,
Reimbursements ,
Sick Leave ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
Though sometimes overlooked given the abundance of federal and state statutory claims, employers must remember that their existing contractual obligations remain in place during the pandemic. As a review of the Fisher...more
8/10/2020
/ Breach of Contract ,
Business Interruption ,
Contract Termination ,
Contract Terms ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employment Contract ,
Force Majeure Clause ,
Frustration of a Common Purpose ,
Furloughs ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Layoffs ,
Nonperformance ,
Pay Reductions
As Massachusetts employers navigate reopening their workplaces while complying with federal, state, and local guidelines, it is helpful to gain some insight into government enforcement priorities. The Fair Labor Division of...more
6/23/2020
/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Earned Sick Time ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ,
Health and Safety ,
Local Ordinance ,
Minimum Wage ,
OSHA ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Re-Opening Guidelines ,
Remote Working ,
State Attorneys General ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
An engineer terminated for job abandonment just sued his former employer for not allowing him to work from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to his complaint, Yiyu Lin, a 55-year-old Chinese-American engineer with...more
6/16/2020
/ Age Discrimination ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Disability Discrimination ,
Earned Sick Time ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Infectious Diseases ,
National Origin Discrimination ,
Race Discrimination ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Retaliation
Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker just signed a law that prevents Massachusetts employers from being charged increased taxes for unemployment benefits claimed by employees separated from employment during the COVID-19...more
The Massachusetts Department of Family and Medical Leave (DFML) recently released proposed amendments to the Commonwealth’s Paid Family and Medical Leave regulations, marking yet another proposed change to the state’s nascent...more
Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker just announced the details of a four-phase plan that will slowly allow Bay State employers to reopen over the next 12 weeks. Under today’s order, Phase 1 will permit houses of worship,...more
Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker just announced his administration’s plan to reopen the Commonwealth’s economy amidst the current COVID19 pandemic. The new four-phase plan is a welcome development for Bay State employers,...more
A terminated Kroger Co. distribution center worker has just sued the grocery store giant over its handling of absences for what she alleges were COVID-19 symptoms. The most interesting aspect of this claim is that the...more
In a blow to the state’s nascent recreational marijuana industry, a Massachusetts Superior Court Justice denied an emergency challenge to Governor Charlie Baker’s designation of recreational marijuana dispensaries as...more
New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu issued COVID19 Emergency Order #17 late last week, requiring all non-essential businesses and organizations to close their physical workplaces and facilities to workers, customers, and the...more
Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker announced a series of orders on Sunday in the Commonwealth’s latest efforts to deter the spread of COVID-19. The most recent steps include statewide school closures, a prohibition on any...more
3/17/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Emergency Response ,
Event Cancellation ,
Governor Baker ,
Medical Leave ,
Paid Leave ,
Public Health ,
Quarantine ,
Restaurant Industry ,
School Closures ,
Sick Leave ,
State of Emergency ,
Unemployment Benefits