Several important updates to the Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave law (“PFML”) go into effect on January 1, 2023. Background on the PFML - Beginning in 2021, the PFML began providing paid family and medical...more
On July 26, 2022, Governor Charlie Baker signed into law “An Act Prohibiting Discrimination Based on Natural and Protective Hairstyles,” popularly known as the Massachusetts CROWN Act. The effective date of the new law...more
On July 26, 2022, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker signed the Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair ("CROWN") Act, prohibiting discrimination against employees and students on the basis of natural...more
On July 26, 2022, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker signed into law “An Act Prohibiting Discrimination Based on Natural and Protective Hairstyles,” also known as the Massachusetts CROWN Act. The law prohibits...more
On July 26, 2022, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker signed into law the Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair (“CROWN”) Act. Among other things, the law prohibits discrimination based on “traits...more
Effective immediately, Massachusetts employers must furnish up to 40 hours of COVID-19 emergency paid sick leave (“COVID Leave”) to their employees, to be made available either through September 30, 2021, or until the...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: As we previously reported, on July 24, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker issued an Executive Order announcing a $500 daily civil fine, effective August 1, for individuals traveling into the Commonwealth...more
Nearly ten weeks after Governor Charlie Baker declared a state of emergency in Massachusetts due to the outbreak of COVID-19, the Commonwealth has begun reopening its economy in phases. LOOKING BACK - On March 10,...more
Across the nation, states have been stepping up to minimize legal risks to health care workers as they continue the fight against the global COVID-19 pandemic. Massachusetts became the most recent state to take steps to...more
Employers will now have extra time to comply with the Paid Family Medical Leave Act, G. L. c. 175M (“Act”), and more clarity on how to do so, thanks to delays implemented by state leaders and regulations issued by the...more
Employers in the Commonwealth are fast discovering that the new Massachusetts Paid Family Leave Law, M.G.L c. 175M (“MAPFML”), which begins to phase into effect June 30, 2019, asks much of employers, both administratively...more
New guidance issued by the Massachusetts Department of Revenue requires Massachusetts employers with six or more employees to file an annual health insurance responsibility disclosure (HIRD) form. The form became available on...more
Earlier this summer, Governor Baker signed into law a long-awaited bill restricting the use of non-competition agreements. This bill took effect on October 1, 2018, and will apply to agreements entered on or after that date....more
It’s hard to keep up with all the recent changes to labor and employment law. While the law always seems to evolve at a rapid pace, there have been an unprecedented number of changes for the past few years—and this past month...more
Non-compete reform has come to Massachusetts, with wide-ranging legal and practical implications for any employers with workers in Massachusetts. Employers have just six weeks to consider and adopt a new approach to...more
Over the last decade, non-compete reform has been a third rail of Massachusetts politics. Although many employers believe non-compete agreements are necessary to protect their trade secrets and confidential information,...more
Today, August 10, 2018, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker signed into law a comprehensive economic development act which amends the Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 149 to create a new Section 24L, which will impose...more
Just before midnight on July 31, 2018, the last day of its legislative session, the Massachusetts Legislature passed a significant bill regulating the use of non-compete agreements in the Commonwealth. On August 10, 2018,...more
After nearly a decade of false starts, the Massachusetts Legislature passed reform legislation on July 31 limiting the scope and enforceability of noncompetition agreements. The new law does not go so far as to "ban" such...more
In a series of blog posts going back to last August, we reported on certain amendments to the Massachusetts Employer Medical Assistance Contribution (EMAC) rules. As we previously explained, the EMAC contributions are...more
On June 28, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker signed a comprehensive bill requiring employers in the state to provide workers with paid family and medical leave. The bill, titled “An Act Relative to Minimum Wage, Paid...more
Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker has signed a sweeping bill that, over a period of five years, will: (1) raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour; (2) mandate paid family and medical leave for Massachusetts employees; and...more
On June 28, 2018, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker signed a law affecting all employers in the Commonwealth by creating a paid family and medical leave program funded by a state payroll tax, increasing the state minimum...more
In one fell swoop, Massachusetts has set in motion a plan to increase its minimum wage to $15.00 per hour and create a comprehensive paid family and medical leave program as the result of a “grand bargain” between employee...more