With limited exceptions, California law does not require employers to provide employees with a premium rate of pay for working during holidays or paid days off for holidays unless contractually obligated to do so. However,...more
This summer marks the second year with Juneteenth as a premium pay holiday for Massachusetts retailers. In 2020, as part of a COVID-19-related spending bill, the Massachusetts legislature added Juneteenth National...more
As we approach the holiday season, employers may have uncertainty about handling holiday pay and related issues with holiday closures. Under California law, hours worked on holidays, Saturdays, and Sundays are treated...more
As the calendar (finally) flips from 2020 to 2021, brewers should keep in mind a few changes to the Massachusetts wage and hour laws that go into effect in the new year. The Massachusetts minimum wage is set to increase...more
On Friday, July 24, 2020, Governor Baker signed a bill designating Juneteenth (June 19th) as an annual state holiday in Massachusetts. In doing so, Governor Baker stated that this designation would help “recognize the...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: A Massachusetts trial court judge ruled that employees were entitled to premium pay for work on Sundays at a call center, under a Massachusetts statute governing Sunday and holiday work at a retail “store...more
As we look forward to the New Year, Massachusetts employers should be aware of upcoming changes to the Commonwealth’s employment laws that took effect on January 1, 2020, as well as possible changes we foresee on the horizon....more
Seyfarth Synopsis: As we prepare to enter 2020, employers with a presence in Massachusetts should be mindful of certain changes to the wage and hour laws that will take effect in the new year. Most of these changes stem...more
The Rhode Island Supreme Court recently held that the Airline Deregulation Act (ADA), a federal law, preempts Rhode Island law requiring premium pay for Sunday and holidays. This decision may allow employers in other...more
As you may remember, it was Christmas in July for employees when Massachusetts passed the “Grand Bargain,” among other things, putting the Commonwealth on a path to a $15.00 minimum wage. When the clock struck midnight on...more
Q. Are there any new laws in Massachusetts that my company should be aware of? A. Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker recently signed a bill that will serve as a turning point for working families....more
The new “grand bargain” legislation Governor Charlie Baker signed into law last week gradually phases out the requirement that Massachusetts retailers pay time-and-a-half for work on Sundays or certain holidays....more
On June 28, 2018, Governor Charlie Baker signed “An Act Relative to Minimum Wage, Paid Family Medical Leave, and the Sales Tax Holiday” (HB 4640) into law. Last week, we covered three major changes the Act makes to...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
State Budget Law 42/2016 of December 28, 2017 - Enacted Legislation - Effective January 1, 2017, State Budget Law for 2017 introduced various modifications to the labor law landscape, which have had an immediate...more
Companies doing business in the U.S. invariably encounter a legal system and employee relations laws that differ in many significant respects from those in other countries. The sources of U.S. law come from the U.S. federal...more