State Employment Law Articles

A new District of Columbia law will require employers to provide reasonable accommodations to employees affected by pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and related medical conditions and prohibit employers from requiring an employee to take leave if it is possible for the employee to continue work

On December 15, 2014, the Minnesota Court of Appeals extended the statute of limitations for Minnesota Whistleblower Act (MWA) claims from two to six years. In Ford v. Minneapolis Public Schools,1 the court overturned 20 years of precedent2 and held that because the claim was created by statute, rec

On November 19, 2014, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled in Orca Communications Unlimited, LLC v. Noder that the Arizona Uniform Trade Secrets Act (AUTSA) does not preempt common law tort claims for misappropriation of confidential information that does not rise to the level of trade secret information

The new District of Columbia Wage Theft Prevention Amendment Act of 2014 makes sweeping changes to D.C.’s wage and hour laws, greatly increasing employer obligations, penalties, and liability and creating a cumbersome administrative hearing process.

Beginning January 1, 2015, the Illinois Human Rights Act (“IHRA”) will offer additional protections for pregnant women in the workplace and additional responsibilities for employers with respect to their pregnant workers. On or before that date, employers must post information about the new protecti

Effectively tripling the amount of time in which aggrieved employees may sue their employers in statutory whistleblower suits, the Minnesota Court of Appeals holds that claims under Minnesota’s Whistleblower Act (Minnesota Statute section 181.932) are not subject to the two-year statute of limitatio

In addition to federal and state laws, San Francisco currently has ten labor and employment laws that apply only to employees working within the City. On December 5, 2014, the eleventh San Francisco-specific employment law was enacted, expanding the rights of some retail workers employed by specifie

An amendment to the Chicago Municipal Code establishes a minimum wage for employees of businesses operating facilities located within the City of Chicago that is higher than the Illinois minimum wage.

Effective December 31, 2014, the New York State minimum wage increases to $8.75 per hour (from $8.00 per hour).

Executive Summary: Last week marked the official start of the holiday season. As we're now racing towards the end of the year, and getting ready for parties, gifts, and, perhaps, (ugh!) holiday travel, employers also should be getting ready to implement policies to comply with a number of new Califo

Recently, the Nevada Supreme Court in Terry, et al., v. Sapphire Gentlemen's Club, reversed a lower court's ruling and held that performers at Sapphire Gentlemen's Club meet the definition of "employees" under the Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS). For the first time, the court explicitly adopted the fe

he required compensation levels for employees exempt from overtime rate of pay requirements under the California computer software professional exemption will increase by 2.2 percent from current levels beginning January 1, 2015, the California Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) has announced.

Miami-Dade County is set to become the 21st municipality in Florida to adopt legal protections for individuals based on gender identity and expression. County commissioners on December 2, 2014, voted 8-3 to amend the county’s human rights law (Chapter 11A of the Code of Miami-Dade County) to prohibi

The Washington, DC area has become the leading edge of the "ban-the-box" movement, with four new ban-the-box laws applicable to private employers enacted in the past six months. Baltimore, Maryland, started the trend when the City enacted an ordinance banning the box on May 15, 2014. Washington, DC

Beginning January 1, 2015, the Illinois Human Rights Act (“IHRA”) will offer additional protections for pregnant women in the workplace and additional responsibilities for employers with respect to their pregnant workers.

A newspaper misclassified its newspaper carriers as independent contractors, the Superior Court for the County of Sacramento has ruled following a trial in a class action for employees’ unpaid mileage expenses under Section 2802 of the California Labor Code. Sawin v. The McClatchy Co., No. 34-2009-0

It has been said that in many ways—including politically—the Golden State seems to march to the beat of its own drum. Accordingly, it comes as little surprise that the red Republican breaker that swept across the United States in last Tuesday’s election caused only a small wave in deep blue Californ

A City of Oakland ballot measure increasing the minimum wage for most employees, requiring paid sick leave and mandating payment of employer-levied service charges to employees has passed with over 80 percent of the vote. Measure FF’s provisions raising the minimum wage and requiring paid sick leave

Executive Summary: On election day, Massachusetts voters approved a ballot initiative requiring employers to provide sick time to their employees. Absent legislative repeal, the mandatory sick time law will become effective on July 1, 2015.

The proliferation of municipality sick leave laws in New Jersey continues with no sign of letting up. Passaic, East Orange, Paterson, and Irvington recently passed their own paid sick leave ordinances, and voters in Trenton and Montclair approved similar laws in the recent election. It is imperative