State Employment Law Articles

The wildfires ravaging various parts of Los Angeles County are truly tragic and expected to cost more than $50 billion in damages, making it the most expensive natural disaster ever in the United States.1 For employers with employees in the impacted areas, there are several ways to help. First, an e

On December 6, 2024, Governor Kathy Hochul signed new legislation, S.6635/A.5745, to support employees facing job-related mental health issues. The law, which went into effect on January 1, 2025, will allow any employee to file for workers’ compensation for specific types of mental health injuries b

The deadline for filing the first year of Massachusetts EEO-1 pay data reports is February 1, 2025, but covered employers are still waiting for Massachusetts to publish guidance on this requirement. This means that with less than one month before the deadline, there is no official guidance on what i

Arbitration agreements can be an important tool for employers. In 2022, the United States Supreme Court decided in Viking River Cruises, Inc. v. Moriana that arbitration agreements could include waivers of claims under the California

The City of Boulder has enacted its own local minimum wage ordinance , which took effect January 1, 2025, setting the city’s minimum wage at $15.57 per hour. The new law adds another challenge to multi-jurisdiction compliance for employers as the city’s minimum wage is higher than the State of Color

On November 8, 2024, the California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA) voted to advance proposed regulations concerning automated decisionmaking technology.

Governor Kathy Hochul signed several bills last month designed to strengthen protections for the personal data of consumers. One of those bills (S2659B)

On December 21, 2024, Governor Kathy Hochul signed into law the Warehouse Worker Injury Reduction Program (S5081C/A8907A), requiring certain warehouse employers in New York to prepare and implement formal injury reduction programs that identify and minimize the risks of musculoskeletal injuries to t

By: Last Ride For “Headless” PAGA Actions By: Last Ride For “Headless” PAGA Actions Yesterday, the California Court of Appeal in Leeper v. Shipt, Inc. , held that because every PAGA action necessarily includes an “individual PAGA claim” a PAGA plaintiff cannot avoid arbitration by asserting purely r

The Wisconsin Fair Employment Act (WFEA) prohibits employers from discriminating against applicants and employees on the basis of their arrest and conviction records. Generally, an employer cannot make decisions based on an arrest or conviction record unless the crimes “substantially relate” to the

California’s legislature covered a wide array of labor and employment law topics in the 2024 legislative session. The laws discussed below were signed into law by Governor Newsom and will become effective on January 1, 2025, unless otherwise noted. This Insight includes highlights of some of the new

California Law For decades, California has allowed employers to pay intellectually or developmentally disabled workers a subminimum wage in certain settings. Currently, disabled workers employed through a “sheltered” disability program are paid from $3 to $14

The California Supreme Court issued several important decisions in 2024 about issues such as the application of PAGA to public employees and the

Employment discrimination against individuals with or perceived to have family caregiving responsibilities will soon be unlawful in Illinois under a law set to take effect on January 1, 2025.

In response to two questions certified by the 7th Circuit, the Delaware Supreme Court clarified that forfeiture-for-competition provisions in employment agreements are subject to a looser review standard.

Compliance with California’s paid sick leave law grew increasingly complex this year with new legislative developments. The Labor Commission updated its

Recently, the Los Angeles City Council approved a motion to amend the Living Wage Ordinance (LWO) and the Hotel Worker Minimum Wage Ordinance (HWMO),

On December 9, 2024, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit upheld the New Jersey district court’s previous ruling that there is no private right of action under New Jersey’s Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement Assistance, and Marketplace Modernization Act (“the Act”).

Contractors and subcontractors that perform work on projects subject to Article 8 of the New York Labor Law must register with the New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) on or before December 30, 2024. Article 8 of the Labor Law contains New York State’s prevailing wage requirements for public

In this episode, Jen discusses her year-end checklist to ensure you are prepared for 2025.