State Employment Law Articles

On October 8, 2023, Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed Assembly Bill (AB) No. 1356, which would have required employers to provide workers with earlier notice in the event of a mass layoff. The post Governor Newsom Vetoes Bill That Would Have Given California Employees Earlier Layoff Warning appeared firs

A recently enacted New York State law that took effect immediately restricts employers’ use of employment agreements which require that employees assign to their employer rights to inventions that were created by the employee on his/her own time and without the use of the employer’s resources. The p

On October 7, 2023, Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed proposed bill SB 403, which, as previously discussed , sought to ban discrimination based on caste under the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), Unruh Civil Rights Act, and California Education Code. Governor Newsom’s message called this change “u

On October 7, 2023, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill (SB) No. 700 into law, expanding California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act to protect applicants from discrimination based on prior cannabis use, with certain exceptions. The post California Expands Marijuana Employment Antid

On October 8, 2023, Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law Senate Bill (SB) No. 497—also referred to as the Equal Pay and Anti-Retaliation Protection Act. SB 497 amends California Labor Code Sections 98.6, 1102.5, and 1197.5 to create a rebuttable presumption of retaliation if an employee is discipli

On October 4, 2023, Governor Newsom signed SB 616 , significantly modifying the 2014 Healthy Workplaces, Healthy Families Act (“HWHFA”). The new law is effective January 1, 2024.

SB0071/HB0800 specifies that 25% of the net recovery by a claimant on a claim for workers’ compensation will be subject to execution on a judgment for a child support arrearage.

Executive Summary : On October 4, 2023, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law SB 616, which amends the Healthy Workplaces, Healthy Families Act of 2014 (HWHFA) (California Labor Code Section 245.5) to provide nearly all employees working in California with two additional days or 16 additi

Later this month, we will report on all the new employment-related laws that California has enacted for 2024. However, this article focuses on the bills that Newsom vetoed. Some of these are a bit of a surprise. SB 799: This bill would have required the EDD to treat employees who are on strike as el

On August 8, 2023, Puerto Rico’s government enacted Act No. 88-2023, known as the “Puerto Rican Military Code of the 21st Century” (“Military Code”). This new law supersedes the previously enacted Military Code of Puerto Rico from 1969. Contrary to the previous code, the new Military Code specifical

A new law in Puerto Rico provides several pay and anti-discrimination protections for athletes on account of their pregnancies. A separate sports-related employment law extends leave protections for eligible athletes, coaches and specialized personnel who are absent from their jobs to represent Puer

In August 2021, New York’s Department of Health adopted an emergency rule 10 N.Y.C.R.R. § 2.61 (the Rule) directing hospitals, nursing homes, hospices, adult care facilities, and other identified healthcare entities to “continuously require” certain of their employees to be fully vaccinated against

On September 20, 2023, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill No. 553 (“SB 553”) into law, which requires covered California employers to take steps to prevent and respond to workplace violence. Notably, SB 553 adds Section 6401.9 to the California Labor Code, which, effective July 1, 2024, requir

Increases the number of job-protected paid leave hours employees can receive and use each year under state law. Extends some obligations and protections to employees covered by a CBA. Creates a partial preemption of local standards.

On October 4, 2023, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill (SB) No. 616 into law. SB 616 amends California’s paid sick leave law to expand mandatory paid sick leave from three days or twenty-four hours to five days or forty hours. The increased paid sick leave requirements take effect on

On September 28, 2023, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill (AB) No. 1228 into law, repealing the FAST Food Accountability and Standards Recovery Act (FAST Recovery Act) (AB 257) and replacing it with a $20-per-hour minimum wage for fast food workers, among other provisions.

On September 30, 2023, California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed Senate Bill No. 686, legislation that would have extended California’s existing occupational safety and health laws and regulations to the domestic service industry.

When the Workers’ Compensation Law was enacted in 1914, it was designed as a compromise between employers and employees.

California SB 553, which takes effect July 1, 2024, creates the first general industry workplace violence prevention safety requirements in the United States. Covered employers must develop and create a workplace violence prevention plan as part of their Injury and Illness Prevention Plans. The

The Massachusetts legislature has introduced a series of employment- and labor-related bills that, if enacted, will require employers across the Commonwealth to establish, revisit or revise policies and practices. In addition, there are certified ballot initiatives that, if they ultimately make it o