State Employment Law Articles

On June 13, 2025, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) issued a decision in Miele v. Foundation Medicine, Inc. , confirming that the Massachusetts Noncompetition Agreement Act does not apply to nonsolicitation agreements incorporated into a termination agreement even if the termination agr

TakeawaysThe bill aims to increase the minimum wage to $15 per hour in the most populous counties starting in 2026, while providing lesser increases in smaller counties.The tipped minimum wage would also increase to 60 percent of the new minimum wages.Annual adjustments based on the CPI would start

On May 27, 2025, the California Court of Appeal for the Second Appellate District held that a former employee retains standing to bring California Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) claims against an employer more than a year after separation, even though PAGA’s statute of limitations for civil pe

By: Unconscionable Employment Terms In Onboarding Documents Can Void Arbitration Agreements On June 13, 2025, a California Court of Appeal struck down an arbitration agreement because of unconscionable terms entered by the parties in a separate employment agreement, governing different dispute resol

On May 20, 2025, Washington Governor Bob Ferguson took the final step toward implementing House Bill (HB) 1213 ’s expansion of the state’s paid family and medical leave program when he greenlit funding for the program as part of the state appropriations budget for the 2025-2027 biennium. With this f

On May 1, 2025, the Minneapolis City Council voted to expand civil rights protections, effective August 1, 2025. Under the updated ordinance ( Ordinance No. 2025-022 ), it will be illegal for employers in Minneapolis to discriminate based on a person’s height, weight, criminal record or history (now

The Minnesota Department of Human Rights (MDHR) recently made updates to several documents and definitions for Minnesota government contractors. This is the third article in a series focused on the compliance responsibilities of Minnesota contractors holding workforce certificates that the MDHR issu

On May 1, 2025, Governor Bill Lee signed into law legislation ( SB 536/HB194 ) that expands Tennessee’s Intercollegiate Athlete’s Name, Image, or Likeness Law (“student-athlete NIL statute”). Under the law, Tennessee student-athletes will have no limits on NIL compensation unless the limitations are

New Minnesota Meal and Rest Break Requirements On June 14, 2025, Minnesota’s governor signed an omnibus bill, SF 17 , which includes amendments to the state’s meal and rest break requirements found at Minnesota Statute Sections 177.253 and 177.254. tgelbman@littler.com Wed, 06/18/2025 - 10:05

Montana Law Provides Employment Protections for Volunteer Emergency Responders Montana recently enacted legislation prohibiting employers from terminating employment of employees who are volunteer emergency service providers and are absent from work during an emergency. House Bill 128, which will be

The California Senate recently passed legislation ( Senate Bill No. 84 ) that would require a plaintiff to give a qualified business notice and 120 days to cure an accessibility violation before filing a lawsuit seeking statutory damages and attorneys’ fees. The bill would create the nation’s first

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Joins the Over-40 Club for Paid Sick Leave On June 12, 2025, Mayor Ed Gainey signed into law an amendment to the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania’s Paid Sick Days Act (PSDA) that changes the accrual requirements and amount of paid sick leave that must be provided under the Act. tgel

TakeawaysChanges to NYC’s paid prenatal leave requirement take effect 07.02.25.They incorporate and enhance NYS prenatal leave protections that went into effect at the beginning of this year.NYC employers should understand their obligations and implement the changes to policies, notices, and recordk

TakeawaysStarting 07.01.26, new disclosure requirements go into effect for restaurants that impose “operations charges.”“Operations charges” are defined in the new law and include gratuities.Notice requirements will affect many points of customer contact, including menus, bills, receipts, and more.A

On June 9, 2025, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek signed into law Senate Bill (SB) 951 , which, among other things, will impose significant new limitations on restrictive covenants with healthcare practitioners relating to noncompetition, nondisparagement, and nondisclosure. The limitations may soon be mo

In anticipation of the June 20, 2025, effective date of the New York Child Data Protection Act (NYCDPA), the Office of the New York State Attorney General (OAG) recently released implementation guidance that provides critical clarity for businesses, schools, and other organizations that collect or p

The Minnesota Department of Human Rights (MDHR) recently updated several documents on its website for Minnesota government contractors. This is the second article in a series focused on the compliance responsibilities of Minnesota contractors holding workforce certificates that the MDHR issued. The

California Releases Model Crime Victims Notice: What Employers Need to Know Earlier this year, we covered Assembly Bill 2499, a significant new law expanding workplace protections for victims of crime. As of January 1, 2025, California

WA Cares Gets a Makeover: What’s Changing in 2026 Washington State enacted significant amendments to the WA Cares Fund (“WA Cares”), the nation’s first mandatory, publicly funded long-term care insurance program for workers. WA Cares was established under the Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) T

On June 2, 2025, the California Senate approved a bill, called the “No Robo Bosses Act,” that would restrict when and how employers can use automated decision-making systems and artificial intelligence (AI) to make employment-related decisions without human oversight. The bill comes as California co