State Employment Law Articles

The Puerto Rico Supreme Court recently held that, in fulfilling their obligation to prevent, prohibit and eradicate sexual harassment in the workplace, employers may adopt rules and regulations that go beyond the requirements of Law No. 17 of April 22, 1988 (“Law 17”), which prohibits sexual harassm

Earlier this week, Secretary of Labor Perez announced that her agency is still working hard on revising the regulations governing the existing white collar overtime exemptions. These regulations were originally expected to be published in early 2015. However, that did not happen. Secretary Perez now

The United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri has declined to enforce two employment agreements containing non-competition covenants because the employees who signed them had not contemporaneously assented to their assignment when their employer sold its assets to another com

Washington Workplace Bills to Watch; Seattle April 1 Minimum Wage Increase; Will Oregon Employers Soon Need to Accommodate Medicinal Marijuana Use?

In April 2012, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued its updated enforcement guidance concerning how, in its view, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII) restricts an employer's discretion to consider criminal records relative to employment decisions. Even before A

The District of Columbia has passed the Wage Transparency Act of 2014. The Act prohibits all private employers within the District from implementing workplace policies that forbid employees from discussing their wages with coworkers. The Act echoes President Barack Obama’s Executive Order 13665, man

Professionals strive to maintain safe and welcoming workplaces for employees and guests. To further this goal, many firms have incorporated into their employment manuals anti-harassment policies and training. Yet, despite such precautionary steps, an employer cannot guarantee an environment free of

On March 12, 2015, Gov. Gary Herbert of Utah signed into law S.B. 296, making Utah the 22nd state to prohibit discrimination in employment based on sexual orientation and the 19th state to prohibit discrimination in employment based on gender identity (plus the District of Columbia). Called the "Uta

The Minnesota Supreme Court has affirmed lower court findings dismissing a claim of tortious interference with contract by a staff augmentation company that successfully sued a former employee and his new employer for breach of a non-compete agreement. Sysdyne Corp. v. Rousslang, et al, No. A13-0898

Utah Governor Gary Herbert (R) has signed into law a bi-partisan bill protecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people from discrimination. While other states and local governments are considering similar initiatives, the Utah law is the first enacted legislation that seeks to balanc

An employer cannot be held liable for failure to prevent sexual harassment under the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (“FEHA”) if there is no actionable sexual harassment, the California Court of Appeal has ruled. Dickson v. Burke Williams, Inc., No. B253154 (Cal. Ct. App. Mar. 6, 2015). L

The day after Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker (R) signed the state’s new right-to-work act, unions struck back with a complaint and a motion for a restraining order and temporary injunction. Three unions in Wisconsin, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (“IAM”) District

In addition to having to comply with the new statewide paid sick leave law, California employers with employees in Oakland need to ensure that they are complying with a new Oakland minimum wage and paid sick leave measure that took effect March 2, 2015.

The Wisconsin State Assembly has voted to make Wisconsin the 25th right-to-work state in the country.

On March 6, 2015, Wisconsin’s State Assembly approved legislation that will make Wisconsin the 25th “Right to Work” state in the country. Governor Walker has said he intends to sign 2015 Assembly Bill 61 into law within days. The legislation significantly modifies Chapter 111 of the Wisconsin Statut

The District of Columbia’s new Wage Theft Prevention Amendment Act of 2014 (the Act), which became effective on February 26, 2015, requires employers to provide written notice to each employee based in D.C. containing specific information about the employee’s terms and conditions of employment. Alth

The Protecting Pregnant Workers Fairness Act of 2014 is now official law in the District of Columbia, with a retroactive effective date of February 3, 2015. To comply with the Act, employers should post a notice of employee rights immediately and provide existing employees with written notice of the

Timely summaries of decisions from across New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania concerning workers' compensation matters. It also provides the latest news regarding litigation, changes in interpretive language used by the courts, permanency determinations, and more.

In a singular decision that may became a model around the country, the New Mexico Supreme Court has ruled that a hospital violated the law by using confidential information about a physician’s peer review conduct to terminate his employment. The court affirmed a verdict in favor of the physician and

Affirming summary judgment in favor of an employer on an employee’s disability discrimination claims under the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (“FEHA”), the California Court of Appeal has ruled that the employer was not required to eliminate essential functions of a position as a reasonab