Massachusetts will be joining the growing number of states requiring pay ranges be included in advertisements and provided in certain other circumstances....more
It is that time of year again, when the Rhode Island legislature ends its session and passes a number of laws that affect businesses with Rhode Island based employees. 2023 was no different. Following is a short summary of...more
7/21/2023
/ Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Employment Policies ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Holidays ,
Independent Contractors ,
Misclassification ,
New Legislation ,
Non-Disclosure Agreement ,
Private Right of Action ,
Rhode Island ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour ,
Wage Theft
Mental health issues in the workplace are at an all-time high. And with those issues come a slew of accommodation requests ranging from continued work from home to removal of stressful job duties to not appearing on camera...more
6/2/2023
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Disability Discrimination ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
Failure to Accommodate ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Interactive Process ,
Job Duties ,
Mental Health ,
Reasonable Accommodation
On February 21, 2023, the National Labor Relations Board (“Board”) ruled that an employer violated its employees’ rights under federal law by offering severance agreements that included standard confidentiality and...more
On March 24, 2022, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (“SJC”) determined that the Massachusetts independent contractor statute (G. L. c. 149, § 148B) applies within the franchisor-franchisee context and does not...more
4/1/2022
/ 7-Eleven ,
ABC Test ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Franchise Agreements ,
Franchisee ,
Franchisors ,
FTC Franchise Rule ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Independent Contractors ,
MA Supreme Judicial Court ,
Misclassification
On May 18, 2021, the Internal Revenue Service published guidance in the form of a series of 86 questions and answers (“FAQ”) that address the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021’s (“ARPA”) continuation health coverage in the...more
Rhode Island and Massachusetts have joined the growing list of states that are enacting orders requiring citizens to quarantine for up to two weeks after traveling to other states. These travel restrictions often prohibit...more
8/27/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ,
Health and Safety ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Quarantine ,
Remote Working ,
Staffing Agencies ,
State Labor Laws ,
Travel Restrictions ,
Vacation Leave ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
COVID Furloughs, Layoffs or Job Modifications May Void Your Existing Non-Competition Agreements -
With Rhode Island and Massachusetts having recently commenced Phase 2 of each of their respective “Reopenings,” more and...more
With more and more individuals taking on the so-called “side hustle” of driving for Uber or even entirely leaving the traditional 9 to 5 work life and opting to make the “gig economy” work as their full time occupation,...more
2/19/2020
/ Arbitration Agreements ,
Employee Definition ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Employment Litigation ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Gig Economy ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Independent Contractors ,
Labor Regulations ,
Misclassification ,
Right to Control ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
The time has come for Massachusetts’ employers to start preparing for the implementation of the law entitled An Act to Establish Pay Equity (the “Law”) that will go into effect on July 1, 2018. The Law represents a...more
Marijuana is a Schedule I drug under the federal Controlled Substances Act, and the use, sale and possession of marijuana remains illegal under federal law. In recent years, however, a majority of states (at last count, 29...more
In May 2017, we reported on Callahan v. Darlington Fabrics and the Moore Company, a Rhode Island Superior Court decision that applied workplace anti-discrimination protections to medical marijuana users. Massachusetts has now...more
On May 23rd, the Rhode Island Superior Court ruled that a local company is guilty of discriminating against a prospective employee for refusing to hire the employee because the employee actively used medical marijuana...more
It is summertime and the schools are out. You get a call from an eager college student offering to intern at your company for free. It seems like a win-win situation, right? Your company wins by having someone finally get...more
The Fair Credit Reporting Act (“FCRA”) provides guidelines which must be followed in order for employers to gather certain information about employees or applicants. Generally, there are two types of reports: a consumer...more