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
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
On January 1, 2021, LD 369, An Act Authorizing Earned Employee Leave takes effect for Maine employers. Passed by the Legislature in 2019, Maine employers have been patiently waiting for clarification as to the...more
Q: I am concerned about employees coming to work with a fever—can I test employees’ temperatures before allowing them to work to avoid spreading the coronavirus?
Verrill’s View: Maybe—but there are many factors to consider....more
3/19/2020
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Medical Examinations ,
NLRA ,
OSHA ,
Virus Testing ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety
With the New Year comes changes in many state and federal wage and hour laws. Do you operate in a state that has recently experienced a raise in the minimum wage? It is always best practice to check out your state’s...more
1/3/2020
/ Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Exempt-Employees ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Final Rules ,
Highly Compensated Employees ,
Minimum Salary ,
Minimum Wage ,
Over-Time ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
Today, September, 24, 2019, the U.S. Department of Labor announced a final rule to increase the salary threshold necessary to remain an exempt employee. The change is estimated to affect 1.3 million American workers under the...more
Yesterday, September 11, 2019, the EEOC announced that it will not seek to renew collection of EEO-1 Component 2 Data for 2019, 2020, and 2021. This does not impact employer’s current EEO-1 obligations to file Component 2...more
Those closely following the timeline for implementation of Massachusetts’s new Paid Family and Medical Leave, are aware that on July 1, 2019, employers were required to begin to make payroll deductions for the paid leave. Did...more
In this episode of our HR Law 101 series, attorney Tawny Alvarez discusses the Family Medical Leave Act or FMLA. In part 1, we discuss the federal act generally, including who it is applicable to, what rights an employee has,...more
The Uniform Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994, also known as USERRA, has multiple responsibilities for employers and employees. In this episode of HR Law 101, attorney Tawny Alvarez will highlight a few...more
6/12/2019
/ At-Will Employment ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Employment Policies ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Military Leave ,
Military Service Members ,
USERRA ,
Veterans ,
Wage and Hour
Many business owners and HR professionals look for a concise and straight forward employee handbook. The truth is, there isn't just one universal handbook to put on a shelf with all you need to know. Listen to this episode of...more
6/12/2019
/ Corporate Culture ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Handbooks ,
Employee Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Human Resources Professionals ,
Medical Leave ,
Notification Requirements ,
Paid Leave ,
State Labor Laws ,
Unpaid Leave ,
Wage and Hour
On April 12, 2019, Governor Mills signed into law LD 278, “An Act Regarding Pay Equality.” Under the new laws (5 M.R.S.A. § 4577; 26 M.R.S.A. § 628-A) employers may not “use or inquire about the compensation history of a...more
How many times have you heard, as a Human Resources professional, an employee make the statement: “I need leave, but I don’t want to use my FMLA leave”? In many cases, our initial response is to educate the employee and help...more
3/20/2019
/ Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Rights ,
Employment Policies ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
Human Resources Professionals ,
Notice Requirements ,
Opinion Letter ,
Paid Leave ,
Sick Leave ,
Wage and Hour
Yesterday, March 7, 2019, the United States Department of Labor (DOL) unveiled a proposal to change the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) as it applies to non-exempt employees eligible for overtime. The proposed change...more
Over the past few days, while many were preparing turkeys or throwing out lettuce, the Boston Globe posted Trouble is brewing at craft beer darling Trillium... but the long and the short of it is that Trillium changed how it...more
11/26/2018
/ Best Practices ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Minimum Wage ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Public Relations ,
State Labor Laws ,
Tip Credit ,
Tipped Employees ,
Tips ,
Wage and Hour
In this episode of HR Law 101: Understanding the HR Basics, Verrill Dana labor and employment attorney Tawny Alvarez focuses on understanding the basics of wage and hour laws – from exempt to non-exempt, salary to hourly,...more
[Letter to Byron D. Verrill, who in 1862 began the law practice known today as Verrill Dana, LLP] -
Dear Byron D. Verrill -
When I’m interviewing applicants for a new position is it okay for me to ask about prior or current...more
In the past we have focused a lot on volunteer labor. The fact that generally an individual cannot “volunteer” to work for a for-profit business. The days of unpaid internships where someone volunteers their time to gain...more
4/19/2018
/ Churches ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Economic Realities Test ,
Employee Definition ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Internships ,
Minimum Wage ,
Over-Time ,
Unpaid Interns ,
Volunteers ,
Wage and Hour
On July 1, 2018, Massachusetts Pay Equity law takes effect requiring all employers to pay men and women equally for comparable work—a phrase that is different from many similar statutes that have gone into effect over the...more
4/11/2018
/ Affirmative Defenses ,
Audits ,
Employee Training ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Equal Pay ,
Gender Discrimination ,
Gender Equity ,
Gender-Based Pay Discrimination ,
Pay Equity Laws ,
Pay Gap ,
Salary/Wage History ,
Sex Discrimination ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour