State Employment Law Articles

On April 23, 2020, Governor Brian Kemp signed an Executive Order (Order) relaxing the statewide Shelter in Place Order issued on April 2, 2020, and providing additional guidance related to the performance of work for Critical Infrastructure businesses and non-Critical Infrastructure businesses, incl

Minnesota State Governor Tim Walz has issued Emergency Executive Order 20-40, Allowing Workers in Certain Non-Critical Sectors to Return to Safe Workplaces, relaxing his stay-at-home orders.

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy has signed a bill requiring hospitals licensed under New Jersey Statutes Title 26 to report demographic data on COVID-19 cases.

On April 19, 2020, the New York City Commission on Human Rights (the “Commission”) announced that it has formed a COVID-19 response team to handle reports of harassment and discrimination related to the coronavirus outbreak. The COVID-19 response team includes staff from the Commission’s Law Enforce

On April 22, 2020, the New York City Council introduced a series of bills in response to the COVID-19 crisis that is ravaging the city. In addition to proposals in this legislative package affecting the real estate industry and small businesses, is a series of bills the Council has dubbed the “NYC E

On April 22, 2020, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court issued a decision affecting the classification of independent contractors for purposes of the state Unemployment Compensation Law (UCL).

Employers in Puerto Rico must provide a model notice to employees in the event of a layoff or reduction in working hours. The Secretary of the Puerto Rico Department of Labor and Human Resources, Briseida Torres-Reyes, issued Circular Letter 2020-02 (only in Spanish) on April 16, 2020.

Puerto Rico’s Department of Labor and Human Resources has issued Circular Letter 2020-02 (CC 2020-02) providing that, effective immediately, any private employer that lays off or reduces employees’ regular working hours is required to notify them of the benefits available under the Unemployment Insu

On April 22, 2020, during a special legislative session, the Virginia General Assembly voted to approve Governor Ralph Northam’s proposed amendment to a bill that will increase the Commonwealth’s minimum wage to $12.00 per hour by January 1, 2023.

As discussed in our previous Legal Alerts, on March 18, 2020, President Trump signed into law the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”). Generally, the FFCRA requires that private employers with fewer than 500 employees provide emergency paid sick to the extent that employees are unable

Recognizing employers have challenges in ensuring employees complete Connecticut’s new mandatory sexual harassment training requirements during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities (CHRO) has authorized employers to apply for a 90-day extension to compl

On March 20, 2020, we published an Insight article detailing Minnesota’s swift response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the many resulting impacts on Minnesota employers. Over the last few weeks, Minnesota’s employment laws have continued to change in significant ways, including:

Late on April 20, 2020, the City of Philadelphia issued Temporary Emergency Regulations to the Philadelphia Notification of Intention to Close or Relocate Operations ordinance (Philadelphia WARN Act), continuing the trend of changes to state and local WARN obligations in light of the COVID-19 pandem

South Carolina’s Department of Employment and Workforce (DEW) issued a notice effective April 16, 2020, requiring all employers to provide employees with a Notification of the Availability of Unemployment Insurance Benefits upon separation of employment. The Notice can be provided in person, by mail

While most of California has been shuttered since county health care officials, Governor Newsom and mayors throughout the state issued orders closing most businesses, schools and other institutions during the COVID-19 pandemic, employees in the food sector continue to report to work to ensure the st

In response to the COVID-19 crisis, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont has issued an Executive Order mandating all persons in public places use masks or cloth face-coverings if they are unable to, or do not, stay at least six feet from any other person. This also applies to employees reporting to work

People in Maryland must wear face coverings at retail stores (i.e., grocery stores, pharmacies, liquor stores, and restaurants) and on all forms of public transportation under a new Executive Order signed by Governor Larry Hogan. The Order also establishes other physical distancing requirements for

The General Assembly of Virginia has passed legislation to raise the minimum wage in stages to arrive at $15.00 an hour by 2026. Once the General Assembly passes Governor Ralph Northam’s amendments (pushing back the original enactment date), employers must start increasing employees’ minimum wages b

On April 17, 2020, San Francisco, California Mayor London Breed signed the San Francisco Public Health Emergency Leave Ordinance (PHELO), which took effect immediately. The next day, San Francisco's Office of Labor Standards Enforcement (OLSE) issued guidelines to help employers and employees unders

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, on April 14, 2020, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed S-2353, which amends the New Jersey Millville Dallas Airmotive Plant Job Loss Notification Act (“April Amendments”), more commonly known as New Jersey’s mini-WARN statute. New Jersey initially amended its