State Employment Law Articles

If passed, California Senate Bill 937: Lactation Accommodation, will require employers to provide a lactation room, or location, in close proximity to the employee’s work space, and it must include prescribed features such as access to a sink and refrigerator. SB 937 also would deem denial of reason

Introduction: Last February, we provided an overview of California's Immigrant Worker Protection Act, AB 450. The law, which took effect on January 1, 2018, was a response to anticipated increases in federal immigration enforcement efforts under the Trump administration and was aimed at providing wo

The Chicago City Council currently has before it a proposed ordinance entitled the “Chicago Fair Workweek Ordinance,” which, if passed, would severely limit Chicago employers’ ability to change employees’ posted schedules, and would otherwise encumber employers in employee scheduling.

A federal jury in Illinois has rejected a transgender employee’s claim that she was discriminated against and illegally fired after she told her employer that she was transitioning.

Executive Summary: Rejecting Freehold Township’s claim the entire case was barred by the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA), a workers’ compensation judge ruled the municipality must reimburse its employee for the cost of medical marijuana to treat his work-related injury. This contrasts with a

The Connecticut Supreme Court is permitting a city worker in New Haven, Connecticut, to pursue a claim for retaliation before the Workers’ Compensation Commission. The city had previously fired the worker on the grounds that the worker had committed workers’ compensation fraud.

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC), the state’s highest court, has held that an Initiative Petition (Initiative Petition 17-07) seeking to create a new law (“The Patient Safety Act”) that would dictate to hospitals and acute care units in state-operated health care facilities the number

In responding to claim of harassment, discrimination or retaliation based on protected categories, California employers must timely respond to and thoroughly investigate workplace complaints to avoid exposure. On July 9, 2018, a California Court of Appeal court found an employer liable where an empl

On July 4, 2018, the U.S. Department of Justice obtained a partial victory in its challenge of California’s Immigrant Worker Protection Act ("Assembly Bill 450" or "AB 450") and other sanctuary laws when a California federal court held that certain provisions of AB 450 violated the Supremacy Clause

Hawaii will be joining the salary history ban trend beginning in 2019. On July 5, Governor David Ige signed into law a bill seeking to address the pay disparity between men and women who perform similar work.

In the wake of the #MeToo movement, many states have been making concerted efforts to address and prevent sexual harassment through proposed legislation. On July 9, California Governor Jerry Brown signed one of those proposals, Assembly Bill 2770, into law. This measure targets defamation claims ste

Executive Summary. In New York State, the State Human Rights Law ("HRL") was recently amended to prohibit sexual harassment against independent contractors. This is a major extension of sexual harassment protection with significant liability exposure for employers. Freelancers, consultants, project

On the last day of the 2018 New York Legislative Session, lawmakers approved a measure that would expand access to the current New York Paid Family Leave benefit to employees experiencing bereavement due to the death of a family member.

Starting on July 18, 2018, New York City employers are required to provide two temporary schedule changes to employees each calendar year for “personal events.” The law also protects employees from retaliation for making certain other schedule change requests.

Executive Summary: The introduction of ride-hailing apps has upended the taxi and for-hire car industry in New York City. What began with a promise of independence and wealth for drivers has actually pushed more into dire financial straits, as competition has increased. Now, following a string of dr

The Wisconsin Supreme Court recently reversed its nearly half-century practice of deferring to state administrative agencies’ interpretations of the laws the agencies are responsible for enforcing. Based on the decision in Tetra Tech EC, Inc. v. DOR,1 Wisconsin courts need now only consider the agen

A key issue for any business facing class action litigation in response to a data breach is whether the plaintiffs, particularly consumers, will have standing to sue. Standing to sue in a data breach class action suit, largely turns on whether plaintiffs establish that they have suffered an “injury-

By Philip L. Gordon and Andrew Gray on July 9, 2018 With the May 25, 2018 effective date of the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) barely in the rear-view mirror, California’s Governor Jerry Brown, on June 28, 2018, signed into law the “California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018

Executive Summary: California has become the first state to introduce privacy protection for individuals’ personal data comparable to that provided under the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (“CCPA” or “the Act”), which takes eff

Enacted this past January, New York City’s “Temporary Schedule Change” law becomes effective on July 18, 2018.1 The law provides employees with the right to request two temporary schedule changes per calendar year for “personal events,” and employers must ensure that they are prepared to respond to