State Employment Law Articles

There are a number of employment-related bills pending before the California legislature this session. While it is too early to tell which of these bills ultimately will be passed and signed into law, California employers may wish to follow the progress of some of these bills and/or to submit commen

New York City legislation prohibiting employers generally from requesting or using the consumer credit histories of applicants or employees for employment purposes, or otherwise discriminating against applicants or employees with respect to hiring, compensation, or the terms, conditions, or privileg

The California Court of Appeal has upheld an award of monetary sanctions against a company that brought a lawsuit against its competitor that the court found was meritless and intended to stifle competition. Cypress Semiconductor Corp. v. Maxim Integrated Products, Inc., H038555 (Apr. 28, 2015). Cyp

New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio recently signed legislation establishing a year-long employment discrimination testing program in New York City to begin on or before October 1, 2015. The new law requires the NYC Commission on Human Rights to utilize a process called “matched-pair testing,” in whi

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

Guidance for employers seeking to maintain the at-will status of their employees and prevent employee handbooks and policies from becoming implied-in-fact contracts has come from the Utah Supreme Court, confirming the importance of a clear and conspicuous disclaimer prominently placed in an employee

Employers in the District of Columbia subject to the Wage Amendment Act must post the Notice of the Act conspicuously in the workplace, as well as provide pay notice information to new hires and current employees.

Proposed regulations to the voter-approved Massachusetts Earned Sick Leave Law, which takes effect July 1, 2015, were released by the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office on April 24th. The proposed regulations can be found at: http://www.mass.gov/ago/docs/regulations/proposed/940-cmr-33-00-propo

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

Executive Summary: In a public webinar recently hosted by the California Department of Industrial Relations regarding California's new paid sick leave law, the state labor agency commented that requiring employees to submit documentation as a condition for payment of sick leave arguably can interfer

Executive Summary: Recently, a number of large retail and manufacturing companies doing business in California may have been surprised to receive a letter from the California Attorney General asking them to demonstrate compliance with the California Transparency in Supply Chains Act. The Act was ena

Massachusetts courts recently clarified two issues of great interest to employers in the hospitality and restaurant industries. On the one hand, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court held that Massachusetts law does not prohibit employers from adopting a no-tipping policy. On the other hand, the

On April 17, 2015, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in Miranda v. Coach, Inc., 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 51768 struck a strong blow against any argument that the exclusion for the time an employee spends undergoing post-shift security screenings from their hours worked und

Georgia has become the 24th state to enact a medical marijuana law. On April 16, 2015, Governor Nathan Deal signed legislation immediately legalizing the use of a low-potency form of cannabis oil for medicinal uses. However, unlike many other medical marijuana laws enacted recently, the Georgia law

On April 16, 2015, the New York City Council overwhelmingly passed a bill to make it unlawful for most employers to use an applicant's or employee's credit history for employment purposes, except in certain, specified circumstances. If the mayor signs the bill, as expected, New York City will join t

City anti-discrimination agents posing as job applicants will soon be knocking on employers’ doors in the five boroughs to ferret out discrimination in hiring practices. Seeking to strengthen the New York City Human Rights Commission’s transparency in enforcing the New York City Human Rights Law, ac

With the enactment of “Haleigh’s Hope Act” on Thursday, April 16, 2015, Georgia became the 26th jurisdiction to decriminalize medical marijuana use. The Act, which became effectively immediately upon signature by Georgia Governor Nathan Deal, legalizes such use under Georgia law in connection with n

Following the February 26, 2015 implementation of the District of Columbia's Wage Theft Prevention Amendment Act (the “Act”), the Department of Employment Services (“DOES”) launched an “outreach” program entitled the “Zip Code Project.” Through the Zip Code Project, DOES is sending teams of investig

Legislation being touted as the strictest in the country has been passed by the New York City Council prohibiting employers generally from requesting or using the consumer credit histories of applicants or employees for employment purposes, or otherwise discriminating against applicants or employees

To resolve employment disputes, whether in litigation or at a separation, typically, the parties wish to go in separate directions and not cross paths in the future. Consequently, separation or settlement agreements provide compensation and employees often agree not to seek future employment with th