State Employment Law Articles

In light of the recent coronavirus pandemic, many businesses will inevitably be forced to reduce employees’ hours and thus their compensation. As a result, employees may be eligible to file for partial unemployment benefits. There are, however, a number of other potential options available to employ

On March 17, 2020, New York State Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced an agreement with the state legislature on a bill guaranteeing unpaid and paid sick leave and job protection for individuals who have been quarantined as a result of the Coronavirus, or COVID-19.

The recent outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) has implications specific to Rhode Island employers. On March 9, 2020, Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo declared a state of emergency. Four days later, on March 13, 2020, Governor Raimondo ordered all public schools closed for the week of March 16

In an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19, seven Bay Area counties—Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Santa Cruz—issued “shelter in place” orders effective March 17 at 12:01 a.m. through April 7 at 11:59 a.m. Undoubtedly, these have a tremendous effect on e

As employers may be aware, six counties in the Bay Area (San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Alameda, Marin, and Contra Costa) have issued extremely restrictive “Shelter in Place” orders, which place heavy restrictions on travel, activities, and business. In short, individuals are required to sta

On March 13, 2020, the Connecticut Department of Labor (CT DOL) issued guidance for workers and employers in the form of a set of frequently asked questions about coronavirus (COVID-19). The guidance addresses commonly asked questions that employers and employees might have—including questions about

On March 15, 2020, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont signed Executive Order No. 7C (the “Order”) to encourage mitigation strategies to combat the pandemic of COVID-19 (Coronavirus). The next day, March 16, 2020, Governor Lamont signed Executive Order No. 7D (the “Second Order”) which added further res

All “worldly employment and business” would have been prohibited in Bergen County, New Jersey, beginning 11:00 p.m. on March 17, 2020, were it not for a last-minute delay announced this morning. Only certain activities are excepted from the broad prohibition under Bergen County Executive Order No. 2

Effective 8:00 p.m. on March 16, 2020, by Executive Order, New Jersey is requiring the closure of certain businesses and all schools, while curtailing the operations of other businesses.

Today (March 16, 2020) the Governor of New Jersey issued Executive Order No. 104 (the “Order”) and activated the National Guard under the Emergency Powers provided under the New Jersey Constitution in another effort to curtail the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus). Violating the Order, or aiding and

The New Jersey Department of Labor published guidance for employers clarifying benefits to employees impacted by COVID-19

In an afternoon press conference on March 16, 2020, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf declared that certain non-essential businesses across Pennsylvania “are to close” for at least 14 days to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. In a press release issued later that evening, Governor Wolf reiterated that “w

In a post-2007 reform world, the percentage disability became more important for one major purpose: establishing a capped benefit system for nonscheduled awards. From a carrier perspective, this was a positive and a step in the right direction as the Board was finally placing limits on the number of

On January 1, 2020, additional medical providers have been authorized to treat claimants under the New York State workers’ compensation system. Physicians, chiropractors, podiatrists, and psychologists are joined by physical therapists, occupational therapists, physician’s assistants, nurse practiti

Amid the global spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19), Puerto Rico Governor Wanda Vázquez-Garced has issued Executive Order 2020-023, ordering a drastic lockdown of non-essential commerce and mandatory round-the-clock curfews until March 30, 2020, among other measures targeted toward detaining the spread

On March 15, 2020, the Governor of Puerto Rico, Hon. Wanda Vázquez Garced, issued an Executive Order to facilitate the private and public closings necessary to combat the effects of the coronavirus (COVID-19) and control the risk of contagion within the Island. Following CDC guidance, the Order incl

On March 13, 2020, Puerto Rico’s Department of Labor and Human Resources’ Secretary, Hon. Briseida Torres Reyes, issued Opinion 2020-01 discussing statutory rights and other applicable measures in light of the coronavirus (COVID-19) emergency.

Resolving prior uncertainty regarding the impact of the New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act (CUMMA) on employees’ employment rights, the New Jersey Supreme Court recently held that employees can maintain an action under the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination (NJLAD) for disability

Two bills to expand benefits and job protection for employee absences related to the COVID-19 pandemic are under consideration by the New Jersey State Assembly. The bills would provide greater benefits to affected employees under the state Earned Sick Leave, Family Leave, and Temporary Disability la

Given the continued spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and its implications, employers are confronting difficult questions regarding how to handle safety and health rules, travel restrictions, privacy of employees’ health information, compensation, and other employment and labor issues. Ther