On January 11, 2024, Maine Governor Janet Mills declared a state of civil emergency for coastal counties in Maine impacted by flooding caused by a storm earlier in the week. The state of emergency covers eight counties,...more
This afternoon, Governor Mills declared a state of emergency for Maine’s coastal counties in response to this week’s storm, which caused widespread power outages and coastal flooding. As a result, until the governor lifts the...more
Updated September 17, 2023: At 10:56 a.m. on Sunday morning, Governor Janet Mills lifted the state of emergency she declared on September 14. As a result, the $21/hr emergency wage is no longer in effect in the City of...more
On August 2, 2022, the Seattle City Council voted to repeal the city’s $4 per hour COVID-19 pandemic “hazard pay” requirements related to grocery employees. Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell approved the measure the next...more
Portland City Council repeals state of emergency and approves a citywide indoor mask mandate Portland’s emergency minimum wage will come to an end after only 12 days, as the Portland City Council voted 8-1 on Monday,...more
On Monday, Portland City Councilors took two significant actions that affect employers in Portland, Maine. First, the Council repealed an emergency order from March 2020, eliminating the hazard pay provision set forth in the...more
At their first meeting of the new year, city councilors in Portland, Maine repealed a COVID-19 emergency order that had been in place since March of 2020, thereby terminating a short-lived hazard pay provision. During the...more
At their final meeting of the year, on December 20, 2021, city councilors in Portland, Maine left the city’s existing COVID-19 emergency order in place, thereby triggering implementation of a significant hazard pay...more
Employers in Portland, Maine received long-awaited clarity Tuesday regarding a November 2020 voter referendum raising the city’s minimum wage and instituting hazard pay during states of emergency such as the COVID-19...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: While the Buggles took creative liberties when they claimed that Video Killed The Radio Star, the House of Origin deadline axed a number of employment-related bills. California legislators began this...more
The pandemic seems not to have slowed down state and local lawmakers. Indeed, over 100 new labor and employment laws and ordinances are scheduled to take effect between July 1, 2021 and November 1, 2021. Notably, while some...more
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, essentially, a rates-only...more
Despite the Governor’s recent announcement for a tentative reopening of the state by June, California’s legislature has been busy passing COVID-19-related laws. At the end of March, the Governor signed Senate Bill 95, which...more
While California has announced tentative plans to lift COVID-19 restrictions by June 15, 2021, the difficulties for employers are not over. For much of the COVID-19 pandemic, California struggled to get infection rates...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
Seyfarth Synopsis: During the COVID-19 pandemic, California grocery, drug store, and other front-line workers have continued to sell essential products, stock shelves, clean buildings, and otherwise keep our economy moving....more
On March 9, 2021, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors approved the COVID-Related Hazard Pay Ordinance, which became effective March 22, 2021....more
On March 16, 2021, the City Council of Costa Mesa, California, passed an urgency ordinance establishing premium pay for retail grocery and pharmacy workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Costa Mesa is a large city in Orange...more
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors unanimously approved San Francisco’s COVID Related Hazard Pay Emergency Ordinance, which temporarily requires large grocery and retail pharmacy stores, like drug stores, and the...more
On March 15, 2021, the City Council of West Hollywood added new categories of workers to its existing hero pay mandate of $5.00 per hour worked for large-chain grocery store employees. The new ordinance goes into effect on...more
In addition to California’s expansive statewide employment laws, employers must also stay up-to-date on a quickly growing body of local employment regulations....more
On March 1, 2021, the City Council of San Mateo, California, adopted “An Emergency Ordinance Requiring Large Grocery Stores and Large Drugstores to Provide Hazard Pay to their Employees” to ease the burdens caused by the...more
On March 1, 2021, the City Council of Pomona, California, passed an ordinance that establishes premium pay for retail food workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Pomona is an incorporated city located in Los Angeles County and...more
On March 2, 2021, the City Council of Santa Ana, California, passed an urgency ordinance establishing premium pay for grocery and retail pharmacy workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Santa Ana is the county seat of Orange...more
A growing number of cities in California, including Oakland, Long Beach, Montebello, West Hollywood and San Leandro, have recently enacted ordinances requiring large grocery and/or drug stores to pay specified workers premium...more