Employers in the State of Maine with fifty (50) or more employees should be mindful that the Maine Bureau of Labor has updated its poster for Veterans Benefits and Services...more
On January 11, 2024, at 12:15 p.m., Governor Janet Mills declared a state of emergency in Cumberland County as a result of the severe storm earlier in the week. The state of emergency will expire January 18, 2024, at 12:15....more
On January 11, 2023, at 12:15 p.m., Governor Janet Mills declared a state of emergency in Cumberland County as a result of the severe storm earlier in the week. As Portland, Maine employers may recall, when the State issues a...more
For employers operating in New England, they are likely aware of Connecticut and New York’s recent captive audience statutes, but a quick re-cap on Maine’s recently enacted Captive Audience statute:
Maine’s Captive...more
Last week the United States Supreme Court issued a 6-3 decision ending a four-decade precedent which had allowed universities and colleges to consider the race of applicants during the admissions process. What, if anything,...more
7/3/2023
/ Bias ,
College Admissions ,
Colleges ,
Discrimination ,
Diversity ,
Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I) ,
Educational Institutions ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Race Relations ,
Rehabilitation Act ,
State Labor Laws ,
Students for Fair Admissions v Harvard College ,
Title VII ,
Universities
As previously reported by Verrill attorney Tawny Alvarez in the firm’s “Taking Care of HR Business” blog on January 5, 2023, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) proposed a rule that, as drafted by the FTC, would both prohibit...more
2/8/2023
/ Acquisitions ,
Anti-Competitive ,
Competition ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Financing ,
Mergers ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Proposed Rules ,
Public Comment ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
Taxation
Today, January 5, 2023, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) proposed a new rule that would ban companies from requiring non-compete agreements to be signed by employees and contractors (“Proposed Rule”). The FTC estimates...more
On December 29, 2022, President Biden signed into law the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (“PWFA”)...more
Last week (November 1, 2022), New York City Local Law 59 came into effect. The law requires employers with four or more employees working in New York City (NYC) to publish salary ranges for every advertised job, promotion or...more
The EEOC has issued a revised Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal poster (Revised 10/20). The poster is available here and should be posted as soon as possible. This document is revised and should replace...more
While in March of 2020, I believe many individuals hoped that by July of 2022 we would no longer be concerned with COVID-19 Policies, such, unfortunately, is not the case. Yesterday, the EEOC updated its long-standing...more
7/15/2022
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
EEO ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Guidance Update ,
Rehabilitation Act ,
Screening Procedures ,
Virus Testing
For blog followers, you likely saw last week’s post reminding you to revisit your confidentiality policies in the wake of the leaking of the Supreme Court’s draft opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health, as well as our...more
Over the last year, our society has navigated COVID-19 and rules concerning vaccination and masking. As a society and on this blog, we have discussed regularly the role religious freedoms play in the work environment—under...more
5/11/2022
/ Constitutional Amendment ,
Discrimination ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Freedom of Religion ,
Hostile Environment ,
Leaked Information ,
NLRA ,
Religious Accommodation ,
Religious Expression ,
State and Local Government ,
Title VII
If you have been on social media today (or yesterday) or picked up a newspaper or listened to the radio or watched television—really if you have consumed news in any format, you likely are aware that POLITICO obtained an...more
Prior to (and more so during) the pandemic, many individuals who found themselves working from home were limited in ways to express their uniqueness, their personalities, the things that made them, well, them. It started with...more
It is April 2022 and after 2 years of pandemic-related in-person meeting restrictions (also known as meeting In Real Life (IRL)), we are seeing increases in employers permitting work-related travel. That, coupled with...more
On March 18, the United States House of Representatives passed HR 2116 by a vote of 235-to-189. The Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair Act (a/k/a CROWN Act), would restrict discrimination on the basis of...more
Indicating that continued reliance on the General Duty Clause of the OSH Act, 29 U.S.C. 654(a)(1), was insufficient to protect “unvaccinated employees from the grave danger of being infected by, and suffering death or serious...more
This is the second in a series of posts from Verrill with the purpose of helping to dispel myths that are currently circulating concerning employment laws and rules related to COVID-19.
On September 24, the Safer Federal...more
10/11/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Binding Contractual Rules ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Mandates ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Funding ,
Final Rules ,
General Services Administration (GSA) ,
Vaccinations
This is the first in a series of posts from Verrill with the purpose of helping to dispel myths that are currently circulating concerning employment laws and rules related to COVID-19.
On September 24, the Safer Federal...more
10/11/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Compliance ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Employees ,
OMB ,
Prime Contractor ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Subcontractors ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
Earlier today (June 10, 2021), OSHA issued COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) Subpart U applicable to healthcare settings. While OSHA has indicated that future guidance may be provided for other industries, today’s...more
6/11/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Training ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Guidance Update ,
OSHA ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Screening Procedures ,
Social Distancing ,
Vaccinations
As many readers know, on May 28, 2021, An Act Providing for Massachusetts COVID-19 Emergency Paid Sick Leave was passed. The Act creates a fund for the Commonwealth to reimburse eligible employers who provide employees with...more
Last week, the EEOC provided updated COVID-19 guidance to employers on vaccines and vaccine incentives in the employment realm. One area, however, in which the agencies has been silent is in the public accommodation space and...more
6/7/2021
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Civil Rights Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Employment Policies ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Exceptions ,
GINA ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Religious Accommodation ,
Title II ,
Title III ,
Title VII ,
Vaccinations
Those responsible for employee onboarding can breathe a sigh of relief after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement last week announced that they would extend flexibilities that were instituted last year as a result of...more
DOL Scraps Trump-era Interpretative Letters and 60,000 U.K. Uber Drivers Entitled to Worker Benefits -
It has been a big day for changes on the worker classification front. In the last 24 hours, Britain’s highest court...more