On Wednesday April 8, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released new guidelines making it easier for essential employees to get back to work after exposure to COVID-19. Previously, the CDC recommended that...more
As discussed in a prior alert, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act, which President Trump signed into law on March 27th, temporarily expands unemployment insurance benefits. Under the CARES Act,...more
On April 1, 2020, The U.S. Department of Labor issued temporary regulations interpreting the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). The FFCRA provides certain employees who are unable to work due to the COVID-19...more
On March 27, 2020, President Trump signed into law the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), an economic stimulus package providing over $2 trillion to aid Americans affected by the COVID-19...more
On March 18, 2020, we published an alert informing employers that, due to the severity of the COVID-19 outbreak, they could lawfully take employees’ body temperatures as a condition of their entering the workplace. At that...more
As mentioned in our previous alert, the recently enacted Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) requires that employers with fewer than 500 employees provide paid Emergency Sick Leave and paid Emergency Family...more
Below we share some common workforce-related questions fielded over the past several days, along with general answers. Of course, as is the case with most employment law and HR issues, the right answer for your business may...more
3/23/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Emergency Response ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ,
Government Shutdown ,
Layoffs ,
Shelter-In-Place ,
Sick Employees ,
Unemployment Benefits ,
Virus Testing ,
Wage and Hour
On March 18, President Trump signed into law a massive $100 billion relief package aimed at helping Americans in the wake of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. In addition to providing funding for free COVID-19 testing,...more
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (“COVID-19”) is affecting U.S. businesses in a variety of ways and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Impacts include telework and employee absenteeism, changes in consumer demands,...more
As we alerted you in April, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) extended the deadline for its new pay data reporting requirement from May 31, 2019 to September 30, 2019. As a reminder, this new requirement...more
In our most recent alert regarding the Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave Act (PFML), we noted the possibility that the start of employer and employee contributions could be delayed. Earlier this week, state leaders...more
On May 24, 2019, the new Department of Paid Family and Medical Leave (the department) held a hearing on the proposed regulations implementing its namesake law. Passed almost a year ago, the Massachusetts Family and Medical...more
As we alerted you last month, a federal judge reinstated the EEO-1 pay data reporting requirement that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) had previously announced in September 2016. Recognizing that requiring...more
An eventful first week of March saw newsworthy announcements related to the Fair Labor Standards Act's (FLSA) overtime rule and the EEO-1 pay data reporting requirement.
Overtime Rule -
On March 7, 2019, the US...more
On August 10, 2018, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker signed a bill reforming Massachusetts law regarding non-competition agreements. This new law, which takes effect on October 1, 2018, will require employers to modify...more
On June 28, 2018, Governor Charlie Baker signed An Act Relative to Minimum Wage, Paid Family Medical Leave and the Sales Tax Holiday (the “Act”). Commonly known as the “Grand Bargain,” the passage of this law will avert the...more
Nearly two years ago, Governor Baker signed a bill amending the Commonwealth’s Equal Pay Act (MEPA). On Sunday, July 1, 2018, this new law—which, among other things, imposes more stringent equal pay requirements, bars salary...more
As the April 1, 2018 effective date nears, we wanted to take the opportunity to remind Massachusetts employers of their obligations under the new Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (the PWFA), which amends existing Massachusetts...more
On February 28, 2018, the Department of Justice's (DOJ) Civil Rights Division announced a new Sexual Harassment in the Workplace Initiative (SHWI) that will focus on combating workplace sexual harassment in the public sector....more
On October 11, 2017, the Department of Justice's (DOJ) Civil Rights Division, Immigrant and Employee Rights Section (IER) and the Department of State's Bureau of Consular Affairs announced a partnership aimed at protecting US...more
The EEOC has announced a stay in the much-anticipated pay data reporting that was to be part of the new EEO-1 Report due by March 31, 2018 (previous reporting due by September 30 each year). ...more
This is the time of year when employers with 100 or more employees (and federal contractors with 50 or more employees) would typically be gathering information to complete the EEO-1 reporting by September 30. However, on...more
On October 14, the US Department of Justice's Antitrust Division announced that Ralph Groen, a former information technology executive of the bus operator Coach USA Inc., had pleaded guilty to criminally obstructing justice...more
On May 11, President Obama signed into law the Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016 (DTSA), which enables companies to go to federal court to sue for misappropriation of trade secrets. The new federal right of action for owners...more
5/17/2016
/ Asset Seizure ,
Barack Obama ,
Confidentiality Agreements ,
Defend Trade Secrets Act (DTSA) ,
Ex Parte ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Misappropriation ,
New Legislation ,
Notice Requirements ,
Private Right of Action ,
Trade Secrets ,
Whistleblower Protection Policies
On April 1, 2016, amendments to California's Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) regulations, dealing with the prevention of discrimination, harassment and retaliation, go into effect. The amendments place an affirmative...more
4/1/2016
/ Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Anti-Harassment Policies ,
Anti-Retaliation Provisions ,
Complaint Procedures ,
FEHA ,
Gender Identity ,
New Regulations ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Sexual Harassment ,
Training Requirements