The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment released new FAQs to clarify requirements under the Colorado Health Emergency Leave with Pay (“Colorado HELP”) Rules, issued on March 11, 2020, that require certain employers to...more
3/17/2020
/ China ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Crisis Management ,
Educational Institutions ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Food Service Workers ,
Health and Safety ,
Home Health Care ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Nursing Homes ,
Public Health ,
Restaurant Industry ,
Risk Management ,
Senior Housing ,
Sick Leave ,
State and Local Government ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety
On March 11, 2020, the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment issued Colorado Health Emergency Leave with Pay (“Colorado HELP”) Rules that require certain employers to provide paid sick leave for employees with flu-like...more
3/13/2020
/ China ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Crisis Management ,
Educational Institutions ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Food Service Workers ,
Health and Safety ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Home Healthcare Workers ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Infectious Diseases ,
New Rules ,
Nursing Homes ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Public Health ,
Restaurant Industry ,
Risk Management ,
Sick Leave ,
Sick Pay ,
State and Local Government ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety
Hey, do you want to read an article not about COVID-19? Well, you are in luck, because in this virus-free issue of Wage Watch, we discuss only developments concerning the minimum wage, tips, and overtime that occurred in the...more
3/9/2020
/ Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Franchises ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Joint Employers ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Local Ordinance ,
Minimum Wage ,
New Legislation ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
Over-Time ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Tip Credit ,
Tipped Employees ,
Tips ,
Wage and Hour
If January's minimum wage, tip, and overtime developments forecast what employers should expect throughout the remainder of the year, it could be a challenging 2020....more
2/5/2020
/ Comment Period ,
Deadlines ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Food Service Workers ,
Franchises ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Job Duties ,
Joint Employers ,
Labor Reform ,
Labor Regulations ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Minimum Wage ,
Opinion Letter ,
Over-Time ,
Preemption ,
Rate of Pay ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Regulatory Standards ,
Restaurant Industry ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Small Business ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Tax Credits ,
Tip Credit ,
Tipped Employees ,
Tips ,
Wage and Hour
As “Super Sick Monday” approaches, employers will review their sick leave policies and procedures to ensure that operations are not “sacked” by excessive absenteeism the day after the Super Bowl, and that an enforcement...more
1/29/2020
/ Absenteeism ,
Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBA) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Labor Regulations ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Local Ordinance ,
Municipalities ,
Paid Time Off (PTO) ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Sick Leave ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
We remember when legislative and regulatory developments rarely occurred in December, but those days are behind us.
A Reminder About New Year's Eve & New Year's Day Rate Increases: Many minimum wage, tipped and exempt...more
1/2/2020
/ Appeals ,
Comment Period ,
Compensation & Benefits ,
Consumer Price Index ,
Deadlines ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Labor Reform ,
Labor Regulations ,
Lack of Jurisdiction ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Limited Liability Company (LLC) ,
Local Ordinance ,
Minimum Wage ,
Over-Time ,
Perks ,
Preemption ,
Rate of Pay ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Rulemaking Process ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Tipped Employees ,
Tips ,
Wage and Hour ,
Wage Statements ,
Wages ,
White-Collar Exemptions
After more than a four-year delay, the City of Pittsburgh’s Paid Sick Days Act (“the Ordinance”) will go into effect on March 15, 2020. The city passed the Ordinance in August 2015, but its authority to pass such a law was...more
12/23/2019
/ Accrual Requirements ,
Anti-Retaliation Provisions ,
Carry-Over Basis ,
Covered Employees ,
Covered Employer ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Labor Regulations ,
Local Ordinance ,
Notice Requirements ,
Paid Leave ,
Paid Time Off (PTO) ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Posting Requirements ,
Sick Leave ,
State and Local Government ,
Wage and Hour
Minimum wage laws can affect businesses of all sizes, whether operating nationwide, in multiple jurisdictions, or only in one state, county, or city. To help manage this challenge, below we provide a rates-only update that...more
11/13/2019
/ Compensation & Benefits ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Exempt-Employees ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Food Service Workers ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Labor Reform ,
Labor Regulations ,
Local Ordinance ,
Minimum Salary ,
Minimum Wage ,
Over-Time ,
Rate of Pay ,
Restaurant Industry ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Threshold Requirements ,
Tipped Employees ,
Tips ,
Wage and Hour ,
White-Collar Exemptions
On October 15, 2019, the Bernalillo County, New Mexico Commissioners voted to amend their mandatory paid time off (PTO) ordinance, enacted only two months earlier. As we previously reported, the ordinance will require...more
10/31/2019
/ Accrual Requirements ,
Adverse Employment Action ,
Amended Legislation ,
Carry-Over Basis ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Labor Regulations ,
Local Ordinance ,
Paid Time Off (PTO) ,
Retaliation ,
State and Local Government ,
Wage and Hour
Though in August summer is almost over and fall is just about upon us, federal, state, and local developments concerning the minimum wage, tips, and overtime transcend the seasons.
...more
While most parts of the country were heating up in July, developments concerning the minimum wage, tips, and overtime were cooling off. Many state legislatures have adjourned or are in recess, leaving it mainly to federal...more
New Jersey has expanded its medical marijuana program and—for the first time since the state enacted the law—adopted formal protections for employees and job applicants who use what is now called “medical cannabis.” ...more
With the number, type, and scope of paid leave laws constantly expanding, employers may struggle to adapt successfully and quickly to the changing legal landscape....more
On June 27, 2019, Governor Gavin Newson (D) signed Senate Bill (SB) 83, which, beginning on July 1, 2020, will extend from six to eight weeks the maximum duration of paid family leave (PFL) benefits individuals may receive...more
On May 28, 2019, Maine Governor Janet Mills (D) signed into law a groundbreaking new statute requiring Maine employers (even small businesses) to provide paid time off beginning January 1, 2021. The law is the first of its...more
Status of U.S. Department of Labor Rules: May 21, 2019 was the deadline to submit public comment concerning the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) proposed rules governing the minimum salary or fee amount employees must receive...more
The Westchester County Human Rights Commission, the agency responsible for conducting public outreach for the Westchester County Earned Sick Leave Law (the “Sick Leave Law” or the “Law”), published a copy of the Law, a Notice...more
In February, love was not the only thing in the air; wafting through legislative chambers across the country was the sweet smell of bills about the minimum wage, tips, and overtime. Many bills will be stood up, or ultimately...more
2/28/2019
/ 20% Rule ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Food Service Workers ,
Internships ,
Job Duties ,
Minimum Wage ,
New Legislation ,
Preemption ,
Regulatory Standards ,
State Labor Laws ,
Tax Credits ,
Tip Credit ,
Tipped Employees ,
Tips ,
Wage and Hour
In an unpublished opinion, a state appellate court held the Michigan Medical Marihuana Act (MMMA) did not provide a cause of action for an applicant whose conditional job offer from the City of Lansing was rescinded after he...more
2/25/2019
/ Conditional Job Offers ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Drug Testing ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Job Applicants ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Screening Procedures ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws
2019 marks the start of Wage Watch’s third year of publication, which we will celebrate the only way we (sadly) know how: by recapping federal, state, and local developments concerning the minimum wage, tips, and overtime....more
2/1/2019
/ Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Minimum Wage ,
Offshore Drilling ,
Over-Time ,
Preemption ,
Proposed Legislation ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Tax Credits ,
Tip Credit ,
Tip-Pooling ,
Tips ,
Wage and Hour ,
White-Collar Exemptions
As California employers lay out their plans for compliance training in the coming year, the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) has clarified how to handle training supervisory employees who may have...more
Time on 2018 has just about run out, so without delay, here are the developments impacting the minimum wage, tips, and overtime that occurred in 2018’s final month....more
1/2/2019
/ Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Local Ordinance ,
Minimum Wage ,
New Legislation ,
Opinion Letter ,
State Labor Laws ,
Tip Credit ,
Tipped Employees ,
Tips ,
Wage and Hour
Developing a paid sick and safe time (PSST) policy that complies universally – or at the very least with two laws – has become increasingly challenging. Without fail, and despite some overlap, each new law seems to contain...more
12/31/2018
/ Domestic Violence ,
Earned Sick Time ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Local Ordinance ,
Paid Time Off (PTO) ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Safe Leave ,
Sick Leave ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
For employers with Washington State operations, what happened in 2018 does not necessarily stay in 2018. Those bidding 2018 farewell cannot say goodbye to various paid sick and safe time (PSST) policy, notice, and leave...more
12/21/2018
/ Earned Sick Time ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Local Ordinance ,
Paid Time Off (PTO) ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Safe Leave ,
Sick Leave ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Unions ,
Wage and Hour
The dishes are done, the leftovers are gone, and you are back at work. Were new laws enacted while you were conked out in a tryptophan-induced nap? Keep reading for all the November updates about the minimum wage, tips, and...more
12/3/2018
/ Ballot Measures ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Minimum Wage ,
Over-Time ,
Payroll Audit Independent Determination program (PAID) ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Tip Credit ,
Tipped Employees ,
Tips ,
Wage and Hour ,
White-Collar Exemptions