State Employment Law Articles

Governor Newsom is done signing bills for 2023. We briefly summarize the new laws affecting California employers below. Unless noted otherwise, these laws are effective on January 1, 2024.

In this episode, Jen explains Senate Bill 553, which requires most California employers to create a Workplace Violence Prevention Plan and train their employees at least annually.

Halloween season is a good time for spooky stories, so let’s talk about a subject that strikes fear in the hearts of employers everywhere: retaliation claims.

The New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) has issued proposed regulations to align the state’s industry-specific wage requirements with the upcoming increases in the state minimum wage.

After several years of evolving guidance, the Massachusetts Department of Family and Medical Leave (DFML) has announced that starting November 1, 2023, employees who apply for paid family and medical leave (PFML) benefits directly through the state program will be able to supplement (or “top off”) t

Workplace safety and health hazards have traditionally been associated with unsafe work practices and hazardous conditions but violent acts committed in the workplace are a growing concern.

Two new laws will take effect next year that restrict how employers may respond to worker off-duty cannabis use. One law will restrict employers’ ability to ask about prior cannabis use in the hiring process, and the other will limit employer actions based on positive marijuana drug tests.

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

As reported in last month’s CDF Wage & Hour Task Force blog post, a recent Ninth Circuit panel in Harstein v. Hyatt Corporation, held that employees who were “laid off” at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, March 2020, were entitled to payment for accrued vacation time at the time of the lay-of

Minnesota recently enacted a statewide paid sick and safe time leave law that will become effective on January 1, 2024.

On September 30, 2023, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law Senate Bill (SB) No. 235, which adds new rules for initial disclosures of information in discovery.

In this episode, Jen and Shaw Law Group’s advice attorney Melissa Whitehead discuss California’s new paid sick leave requirements.

Illinois has enacted two amendments to its Labor Disputes Act (820 ILCS 5). The first, HB 2907 ( P.A. 103-0040 ), limits the amount of monetary damages an employer can recover stemming from a labor dispute. The second, HB 3396 ( P.A. 103-0045 ), makes it a Class A misdemeanor with a minimum fine of

Second Circuit holds that “factor other than sex” affirmative defense to Equal Pay Act claim does not need to be job-related. New York Labor Law § 194(1)’s “ bona fide factor other than status within one or more protected class or classes” defense does require

SB 525 will ultimately increase the minimum wage for health care workers to $25/hr. Law expands definition of employees who will be considered health care workers for coverage purposes. Law allows waiver for certain covered health care employers who claim they cannot comply with

On September 15, 2023, the New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (“DCWP”) issued a final rule (“Final Rule”) on the City’s Earned Safe and Sick Time Act (“ESSTA”).

Beginning January 1, 2024, California employees may have to pay overtime to more computer software employees who earn less than $115,763.35 per year, or $55.58 per hour, or $9,646.96 per month.

Effective January 1, 2024, the minimum wage rate in Washington State will increase to $16.28 per hour for employees sixteen years of age and older, the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries announced on September 29, 2023.

California law makes void any contract “by which anyone is restrained from engaging in a lawful profession, trade, or business of any kind,” including non-compete agreements. (Business & Professions Code § 16600.) Non-compete agreements are enforceable in only three limited circumstances: the sale o

Executive Summary : Beginning January 1, 2024, restaurant employers in California will be required to pay their workers for all costs associated with obtaining a food handler card, including treating the time spent obtaining the certification as hours worked. The new law will also require employers