State Employment Law Articles

Minnesota’s legislature was busy providing new rules and obligations for employers. In addition to the changes in the Minnesota Human Rights Act (MHRA), Earned Sick and Safe Time (ESST), Paid Family and Medical Leave, and pay transparency laws (which we discuss in separate articles), there were more

Executive Summary: On April 30, 2024, the Illinois Department of Labor (“IDOL”) finalized its Rules for the Paid Leave for All Workers Act (“PLAW Act” or “the Act”). In November, the IDOL proposed Rules for the law that we outlined in our previous “Learn your Rules” article. Since the Rules were ori

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz signed a bill significantly amending the Minnesota Human Rights Act (MHRA) on May 15, 2024. The MHRA, otherwise known as Minnesota’s anti-discrimination statute, already prohibited discrimination in employment on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national origin,

California has enacted the country’s first general industry workplace violence prevention safety law. The law takes effect on July 1, 2024, and imposes requirements on nearly all California employers, including retail employers.

WCL 114-a provides the Board authority to disqualify a claimant from lost time benefits , “[i]f for the purpose of obtaining compensation pursuant to section fifteen of this chapter, or for the purpose of influencing any determination regarding any such payment, a claimant knowingly makes a false st

Starting July 1, 2024, California will make it unlawful for businesses to add any automatic service charges onto consumer bills. Service charges are mandatory fees tacked onto bills (often for the provision of services in the hospitality industry) that customers have no discretion but to pay. In the

Governor Tim Walz has signed into law significant changes to Minnesota’s independent contractor and employment laws. Effective July 1, all employers, as well as their owners, risk significantly increased penalties for misclassifying employees as independent contractors. Construction industry employe

What do employers need to know about California’s Workplace Violence Prevention legislation? California’s Workplace Violence Prevention Senate Bill 553, which was signed into law on September 30, 2023, created the first general industry workplace violence prevention safety requirements in the United

There are restrictions and prohibitions related to employing minors in Pennsylvania, including impermissible occupations and establishments for which minors cannot work, and limitations on hours of work under the Pennsylvania Child Labor Act (CLA).

The Maine Department of Labor published proposed rules for Maine’s new Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) Program on May 20, 2024, providing initial clarification for employers regarding covered employees, contribution amounts, substitution of private plans, and other facets of the program establi

In this episode, Jen explains “reproductive loss” leave and our obligations as employers.

Maryland is following a nationwide trend restricting non-competition agreements for medical professionals. Maryland House Bill (HB) 1388 voids all non-compete and conflict of interest provisions in employment contracts for certain veterinary practitioners and veterinary technicians beginning June 1,

As we discussed in last month’s column, calculating the regular rate of pay can be complicated, and failure to do so correctly can result in significant liability for employers.

Executive Summary: On May 6, 2024, the Connecticut State Senate approved a significant expansion to Connecticut’s existing paid sick leave law that took effect in 2011.

In Gilstrap v. Sushinati LLC , the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio rejected the notion that the parties’ private agreement to settle claims under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) required court approval. The district court’s decision in Gilstrap follows a growing body of cas

Restrictions on noncompete agreements in the state of Maryland for certain care-related industries have become substantially broader. Under Maryland’s House Bill (HB) 1388, Maryland employers now face greater restrictions entering noncompete and conflict of interest agreements with both health care

The Illinois General Assembly has passed a bill prohibiting claims for per-scan damages under the Biometric Information Privacy Act (Privacy Act or BIPA), legislatively overruling the Supreme Court of Illinois’s interpretation of the act in Cothron v. White Castle System, Inc.

By: Importance of FAA in California Employment Arbitration Agreements Underscored By: Importance of FAA in California Employment Arbitration Agreements Underscored Employers may be able to breathe a sigh of relief as a California Court of Appeal concluded that the Federal Arbitration Act (“FAA”) pre

By: California to Increase Regulation of AI Tools In The Workplace: New Legal Liability By: California to Increase Regulation of AI Tools In The Workplace: New Legal Liability The explosion of AI and the fast pace at which employers are implementing AI into the workplace prompted California regulato