State Employment Law Articles

Recently, in Mora v. C.E. Enterprises, Inc. , the California Court of Appeal upheld a trial court’s decision in favor of an auto dealership alleged to have used an improper “piece rate” or “flag hours” compensation model. Two former service technicians alleged that the dealership’s compensation syst

TakeawaysStarting 01.24.26, employers with at least four employees in Pennsylvania are prohibited from discriminating based on hair type, styles, and textures and some hair coverings.Pennsylvania has joined more than 20 states and cities in adopting CROWN Act-style protections.Employers should revie

New Jersey Bans “Captive Audience” Meetings On September 3, 2025, New Jersey enacted New Jersey Bill No. 4429 , which took effect on December 2, 2025. The bill amends state law by expanding prohibitions on employers’ requiring employees to attend or listen to communications concerning political or r

On November 19, 2025, the California Court of Appeal, First Appellate District, issued a published decision in Dobarro v. Kim , affirming the trial court’s dismissal for untimeliness of an employer’s appeal from a Labor Commissioner award. The decision underscores the mandatory and jurisdictional na

Starting January 1, 2026, all California employers must issue a new annual written notice to every employee explaining key workplace rights — from workers’ compensation to union activity protections and immigration inspection procedures. The DLSE will release a model notice, but employers can’t wait

On November 6, 2025, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro signed a new state law (Senate Bill No. 246) that requires schools to notify parents, guardians, and school employees about any incidents involving a weapon on school property or at a school-sponsored activity. This law increases the legal liab

On November 19, 2025, the California Court of Appeal, Second Appellate District, Division Eight, issued a published decision in Brown v. Dave & Buster’s of California , affirming the dismissal of a Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) action brought by a former employee against her employer. The cou

On November 18, 2025, the California Court of Appeal, Fourth Appellate District, issued a published decision in Anton’s Services Inc. v. Hagen , affirming administrative findings and penalties against a contractor for misclassifying workers, failing to pay prevailing wages, and violating apprentices

On October 21, 2025, the New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) issued an industry letter , titled, “Guidance on Managing Risks Related to Third-Party Service Providers,” which clarifies covered entities’ responsibilities when engaging third‑party service providers (TPSPs) that acce

On November 25, 2025, Governor Josh Shapiro signed the Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair (CROWN) Act into law during a ceremony in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. With this legislation, Pennsylvania joins twenty-seven other states, including neighboring New Jersey, Delaware, and New

The minimum wage in New York State is set to increase to $17.00 in New York City, Long Island, and Westchester County and to $16.00 for employees in the rest of the state, beginning January 1, 2026, along with several other wage credit adjustments affecting employers.

The complexities of California employment law begin not when an employer extends an offer, but as soon as they decide to post a job opening. Employers

A recently published California Court of Appeal, Second District, decision affirmed that the use of a “flag bonus pay” compensation structure that provides an hourly productivity incentive, which is often used in the automotive service industry, does not necessarily violate California’s “no borrowin

On September 3, 2025, Governor Ned Lamont announced that the minimum wage in Connecticut will rise from $16.35 per hour to $16.94 per hour, effective January 1, 2026. This increase is the result of the indexing mechanism under Public Act 19-4, which ties the state minimum wage to the federal

On October 28, 2025, the Maryland Department of Labor (MDOL) reissued proposed regulations to implement the Claims chapter (04) of the state’s Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI) law. This release follows the MDOL’s earlier reissuance of four other chapters—General Provisions (01), Contributi

The Supreme Court of the State of Delaware is considering a case regarding whether a former executive’s noncompete and nonsolicitation agreements, which were agreed to in exchange for company shares, remain enforceable if those shares have been forfeited due to violations of the agreements. The case

With the approaching end of 2025, the Massachusetts Department of Family and Medical Leave (DFML) has issued updated notices supporting Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave (MA PFML) compliance. Additionally, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has issued tax guidance for states with paid fami

California’s wage-and-hour framework is deliberately interconnected. A change in the statewide minimum wage—the foundation on which many other wage rules rest—triggers a cascade of downstream adjustments across classifications, premiums, postings, notices, and payroll operations. With the statewide

On October 25, 2025, New York City adopted Int. No. 0780-2024 , after New York City Mayor Eric Adams returned the bill unsigned. As we previously reported , the New York City Council passed a bill to amend the Earned Safe and Sick Time Act (ESSTA) to incorporate the requirements under the

Los Angeles Updates Freelance Worker Protections Ordinance With the California Freelance Worker Protection Act (FWPA) now in effect statewide as of January 1, 2025, the City of Los Angeles recently revised its Freelance Worker Protections Ordinance (FWPO) to clarify how the two laws interact. tgelbm