On August 20, 2024, a federal judge in Texas ruled that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) exceeded its authority when it adopted a regulation essentially banning non-competition agreements in the United...more
Employers are running out of time to comply with the FTC’s purported regulatory ban on non-competition agreements. The ban – announced on April 23, 2024 – is scheduled to take effect on September 4. 2024....more
On July 31, 2024, Massachusetts Governor Maura T. Healey made it official – with the goal of closing existing wage gaps, Massachusetts is the latest state to require employers to disclose pay range information....more
8/2/2024
/ Anti-Retaliation Provisions ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
EEO-1 ,
Enforcement ,
Job Ads ,
Notice Requirements ,
Pay Data ,
Pay Transparency ,
Reporting Requirements ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
On July 3, 2024, a federal judge in Texas issued a preliminary injunction barring the FTC from enforcing its proposed near-absolute national ban on non-competition agreements. The Rule was scheduled to take effect September...more
7/9/2024
/ Appeals ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Employment Litigation ,
Federal Bans ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Final Rules ,
Litigation Strategies ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Texas
On May 22, 2024, a group of businesses filed suit to block the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) from implementing its Final Rule, which would substantially increase the minimum salary required for the “white collar” overtime...more
On April 23, 2024, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) published its long-awaited final overtime rule, which substantially increases the minimum salary required for the “white collar” overtime exemptions under the Fair Labor...more
On April 23, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) voted along partisan lines to adopt its proposed “Non-Compete Clause Rule” banning outright virtually all non-competition agreements. Unless enjoined by a federal court,...more
The rumors circulating since June 2021 have proven to be true: the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has proposed a rule that would substantially increase the salary basis threshold for exempt employees.
As a reminder,...more
On October 5, 2022, in Laufer v. Acheson Hotels LLC, the U.S Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit reversed a lower court’s dismissal of a suit against Acheson Hotels, LLC, which operates an inn on Maine’s southern coast....more
The Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) requiring employers with 100 or more employees to either mandate COVID-19 vaccines for all employees or provide a testing and masking alternative to vaccination has been formally...more
As we reported here, on January 13, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court put on hold the implementation and enforcement of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing Emergency...more
1/17/2022
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employer Mandates ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Lack of Authority ,
National Federation of Independent Business v Department of Labor and OSHA ,
OSHA ,
SCOTUS ,
Stays ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing
The Supreme Court (by a 6-3 margin) stayed the OSHA emergency rule requiring large employers to collect vaccination data from employees, and require either vaccination or mandatory weekly testing. This means that employers...more
1/14/2022
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Mandates ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Infectious Diseases ,
National Federation of Independent Business v Department of Labor and OSHA ,
OSHA ,
SCOTUS ,
Stays ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing
On December 17, 2021, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit lifted the stay of OSHA’s Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS). As a result, the ETS is now in effect for all employers with 100 or more employees....more
All employers in Massachusetts will soon be required to provide up to 40 hours of job-protected, paid leave for various COVID-19-related reasons. Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker signed House Bill 3702 into law on May 28,...more
Last updated: April 20, 2021. Please note that these restrictions change frequently – we will be keeping this alert updated, so please check back regularly for updates or refer to state websites. Please also note that some...more
On Monday, December 21, Congress enacted a $900 billion stimulus package to support American workers and businesses impacted by COVID-19. The bill awaits President Trump’s signature, which as of this writing is uncertain....more
As schools throughout New England finalize their plans for the fall semester, many employees are faced with an ongoing need to care or facilitate education for their school-aged children on a part-time or even full-time...more
9/4/2020
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Child Care ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Disabled Children ,
Distance Learning ,
Employee Benefits ,
EPSLA ,
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
Remote Working ,
School Closures ,
School Districts ,
Students ,
Wage and Hour
Last Updated September 9, 2020
As New Hampshire continues its phased reopening following COVID-19 business closures, new orders and sector-specific guidance place significant obligations on businesses with respect to...more
COVID-19 is the pandemic that keeps on giving. As the Fourth of July marks the start of the summer vacation season, more and more employees are going to be taking time off. State quarantine orders - until now perhaps only of...more
7/4/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Executive Orders ,
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ,
Paid Leave ,
Popular ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Quarantine ,
State Labor Laws ,
Temporary Regulations ,
Traveling Employee ,
Vacation Leave ,
Virus Testing ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety
Update on High-Risk Workers and Developments at OSHA & CDC -
In our alert series, Plan Now for Bringing Back Your Workforce, we’ve explored the importance of creating an OSHA-compliant Infectious Disease Preparedness and...more
5/20/2020
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Emergency Response ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
High Risk Covid Employees ,
Long Term Care Facilities ,
Manufacturing Facilities ,
Nursing Homes ,
OSHA ,
Re-Opening Guidelines ,
Return-to-Work Agreements ,
Workplace Safety
Creating an Infectious Disease Preparedness and Response Plan -
In part one of this series, we covered the principles that should govern how you plan for the resumption of more “normal” operations. In particular, we...more
Part I - OSHA Guidance on COVID-19 Lowers Risk and Helps Point the Way Back to Work -
As hard as it may be at times to believe this, the day will soon come when your business will be able to start returning to something...more
The $2.2 trillion coronavirus stimulus bill enacted by Congress on March 27 provides immediate cash assistance to small businesses that keep their employees or recall employees they have furloughed or laid off due to...more
On Thursday, March 26, 2020, Governor Christopher T. Sununu issued Emergency Order #17 requiring non-essential businesses to close and Granite State citizens to stay at home. The order takes effect at 11:59 pm on March 27,...more
Since declaring a state of emergency related to the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, New Hampshire Governor Christopher Sununu has issued 10 orders pursuant to that declaration....more