Massachusetts

On May 28, 2021, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker signed legislation providing every full-time employee up to 40 hours (pro-rated for part-time employees) of job-protected, emergency paid sick leave for certain COVID-19 reasons, including to obtain the COVID-19 vaccination or to recover from sym

Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker has announced the state will lift its COVID-19 restrictions and adopt the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) face covering guidance on May 29, 2021. The City of Boston announced it will align with this plan. Municipalities around the Commonwealth

Massachusetts will reopen some outdoor Phase 4, Step 2 industries effective May 10, 2021, and put plans in place for further reopenings on May 29 and August 1, Governor Charlie Baker has announced . The City of Boston will delay most of these reopenings by three weeks.

On April 9, 2021, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) ruled that an employee may be liable to his or her employer under the Commonwealth’s unfair and deceptive trade practices statute—which authorizes an award of double or treble damages for willful violations, as well as costs and attorn

Mandatory arbitration clauses for employment disputes have received a great deal of attention in recent years. In the First Circuit, there is now more clarity regarding the factors used to determine the enforceability of online arbitration agreements.

Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker has announced the state will advance to Step 1 of Phase IV of its COVID-19 Reopening Plan on March 22, 2021. At that time, the state will enforce a scaled back Travel Advisory .

Governor Charlie Baker has announced that Massachusetts would advance to Step 2 of Phase III of the state’s reopening plan on March 1, 2021, relaxing restrictions on most indoor gatherings.

Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker has announced that effective Monday, February 8th at 5:00 AM, businesses can operate at 40% capacity.

On January 20, 2021, an expanded five-judge panel of the Massachusetts Appeals Court issued its opinion in Terence Meehan v. Medical Information Technology, Inc. , No. 19-P-1412, and affirmed a lower court decision granting the employer’s motion to dismiss the plaintiff’s wrongful discharge in viola

Employees who claim that their employers misclassified them as exempt from the overtime requirements of Massachusetts law frequently attempt to recover overtime pay for hours worked outside the statute of limitations applicable to statutory overtime claims. In pursuing these claims, employees often

On January 14, 2021, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker signed into law an economic stimulus bill, H.5250, An Act Enabling Partnerships for Growth, which includes two significant changes to Massachusetts wage and hour laws. First, the new legislation amended the law pertaining to holiday premium p

Massachusetts employers have faced numerous challenges in the past year with the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite swift development of promising vaccines, the pandemic continues unabated, leaving many employers to confront pressing employee absence issues while navigating new employment leave laws. Natura

In an effort to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and protect hospital capacity, Mayor Martin J. Walsh announced the City of Boston will remain in modified Phase Two, Step Two of the Reopening Massachusetts plan for at least three more weeks (through January 27, 2021).

To slow the spread of COVID-19 and to avoid overwhelming Massachusetts hospitals, Governor Charlie Baker ordered (No. 59) further limitations on capacity at gatherings, events, and workplaces. These restrictions are effective at 12:01 a.m. on December 26, 2020, and will remain in place for at least

Just as the whirlwind of 2020 winds down, Massachusetts employers are preparing for what is perhaps the most significant legislative update for worker leave in the past five years. On January 1, 2021, the Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave Act (PFML) will begin providing benefits to eligibl

Citing the increased strain on Boston hospitals from the continued spread of COVID-19, the Boston Public Health Commission ordered restrictions that impose limitations on Boston businesses that go beyond those announced at the state level that were effective on December 13, 2020.

Citing significant increases in confirmed COVID-19 cases, positive COVID-19 tests, and hospitalizations for COVID-19, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker has issued orders rolling back Massachusetts business reopenings and further limiting mass gatherings . These orders go into effect on December 1

On September 16, 2020, in Peeples v. Clinical Support Options, Inc. , No. 3:20-cv-30144, a federal district court in Massachusetts took the unusual step of precluding an employer from discharging an employee who claimed an inability to work in the office due to a disability, and ordered the employer

Following a truncated period of public comment and hearings, the Massachusetts Department of Family and Medical Leave (Department) released the final regulations under the Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave Law (PFML), effective July 24, 2020. Beginning on January 1, 2021, all private Massa

On Friday, July 24, 2020, Governor Baker signed a bill designating Juneteenth (June 19th) as an annual state holiday in Massachusetts. In doing so, Governor Baker stated that this designation would help “recognize the continued need to ensure racial freedom and equality.” This designation also creat