State Employment Law Articles

Effective on July 1, 2016, the City of Philadelphia’s Wage Theft Law imposes higher penalties for violations than currently are imposed by the state’s anti-wage theft law, provides for a private right of action for alleged violations, and creates the position of Wage Theft Coordinator within the Cit

Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper has signed into law new requirements specifying when and how private-sector employers must respond to their employees’ requests for inspection and copying of their personnel files. Prior to this law, Colorado had no law granting private-sector employees access to

Effective July 1, 2017, an amendment to the Chicago Minimum Wage Ordinance (2-25-050) requires employers in the City of Chicago to provide eligible employees up to 40 hours of paid sick leave in each 12-month period of their employment. The Chicago City Council passed the amendment on June 22, 2016.

There have been a few notable developments this week in the employment law world. Here's the roundup: Service Advisor Overtime Exemption.

On June 22, 2016, the Chicago City Council unanimously passed the Chicago Minimum Wage and Paid Sick Leave Ordinance (the “Ordinance”). Chicago is the second city in the Midwest this year to pass a law granting employees paid sick leave. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is expected to sign the Ordinance i

On June 15, 2016, the New York State Department of Labor (“NYSDOL”) published a proposed rule governing the permissible methods for an employer in New York to pay wages to employees. The most radical change is that all current consents for direct deposit will be invalid and every employee that accep

Beginning on August 10, 2016, Colorado employers will be relieved of the additional state verification and retention obligations related to the Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification.

This past week, my colleague, Lindsey Marcus, reported on new paid sick leave legislation that is about to become law in Chicago. It’s significant because it reflects a growing number of states and cities joining the mandated paid leave bandwagon.

On June 7, 2016, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney signed a bill to make it unlawful, with limited exceptions, for employers to procure or use an applicant’s or employee’s credit history for employment purposes. Philadelphia joins the growing list of jurisdictions that have enacted similar laws: Califor

Executive Summary: The New Jersey Supreme Court has held that employment agreements shortening the time in which an employee may file a discrimination claim against his or her employer under the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination (LAD) are unenforceable. In a decision issued June 15, 2016, the Co

As we previously advised,1 on March 2, 2016, Oregon enacted the first geographically-tiered minimum wage hike in the country. This new minimum wage law, which becomes effective on July 1, 2016, imposes different minimum wage rates for employers in the Portland, Oregon metro area and for employers lo

On June 10, 2016, Governor John W. Hickenlooper signed Colorado House Bill 16-1432, Personnel Files Employee Inspection Right (the “Bill”), into law. The Bill, which provides certain current and former private-sector employees the right to access and obtain a copy of their personnel files, will take

A bulletin on employment, labor, benefits, and immigration law.

Executive Summary: Effective January 1, 2016, Alabama passed a new non-compete and non-solicitation statute, repealing § 8-1-1 of the Alabama Code (the "New Act"). The New Act attempts to codify principles the Alabama courts have previously addressed.

After enduring years of drought, California employers find themselves in a phenomenon of equal concern: a cruel summer. In the span of one month, two new local paid sick leave laws were signed and amendments to two existing local measures were approved. On May 10, 2016, Santa Monica amended its law,

Like its neighbor Santa Monica and other major California cities including San Francisco and Oakland, the City of Los Angeles approved its own sick leave entitlement ordinance on June 2, 2016. The Los Angeles Ordinance (“Ordinance”) will provide employees working in the City of Los Angeles with the

Last year, Ohio legislators found themselves caught in the middle of a media firestorm created by various pro-legalized marijuana groups who were politically savvy and financially funded enough to place multiple proposed constitutional amendments on Ohio’s November 2015 election ballot.

On June 1, 2016, the California Occupational Safety and Health Division (Cal/OSHA), predicting that temperatures in certain parts of Southern California and even the cooler Bay Area are expected to exceed 100 degrees, issued a “Statewide High Heat Advisory.” Cal/OSHA used the Advisory as an opportun

The Los Angeles City Council has passed a paid sick leave ordinance, which is slated to go into effect July 1, 2016 in conjunction with the previously passed minimum wage ordinance. The sick leave ordinance will require employers in the City of Los Angeles to provide paid sick leave benefits that ex