By Justin L. Engel In October 2018, amendments to Massachusetts law concerning employer criminal history inquiries became effective. Under the previous version of the law, employers were prohibited from asking about: (i) an arrest, detention, or disposition regarding any violation of law in which no conviction resulted; (ii) a first conviction for any of the […]
By Jennifer Belli and Justin Engel In June 2018, Massachusetts passed a law that will gradually raise the state minimum wage to $15.00 per hour and establish a paid family and medical leave program for employees in the state. The Massachusetts Department of Family and Medical Leave, a newly established state agency created to administer […]
By Jennifer Belli The Massachusetts Legislature has passed a major overhaul of non-compete law, known as the “Massachusetts Noncompetition Act.” Assuming Governor Charlie Baker signs the bill, it will apply to noncompetition agreements entered into on or after October 1, 2018. This alert summarizes the key provisions of the Act. What is a noncompetition agreement? […]
By Martha J. Zackin On March 1, 2018, the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office published guidance on the amendments to the Massachusetts Equal Pay Act (MEPA), as described below. By way of background, the amendments, signed into law in 2016 and effective July 1, 2018, seeks to ensure that men and women are paid equal wages […]
Alexandra D. Thaler and Justin Engel The federal Department of Labor signaled this week that it is reversing course on Obama-era policies that had resulted in the risk of expansive employer liability with respect to worker classification and joint employment. The DOL’s withdrawal of two controversial guidance documents from 2015 and 2016 is one in […]
By Kenneth M. Bello Now that a federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction staying implementation of the new DOL regulations revising salary thresholds for determining application of the white collar minimum wage and overtime pay exemptions, otherwise slated to go into effect on December 1st, what happens next, and how quickly will that occur? […]
In a last-minute, and therefore surprising, decision issued today, a Texas Federal District Court judge has blocked enforcement of the revised federal overtime rule set to become effective December 1, 2016. The rule, issued by the federal Department of Labor, would require employers to pay a salary of at least $913 dollars per week (equivalent to $47,476 […]
By Martha J. Zackin EEOC recently published its Strategic Enforcement Plan (SEP) for Fiscal Years 2017-2021, in which it outlines the areas in which it intends to focus its strategic litigation and enforcement activities in the coming years. Not surprisingly, the EEOC indicates that it intends to expend significant resources on understanding and protecting temporary employees […]
By Martha J. Zackin As is often reported, there is a pay gap in many of today’s workplaces between men and women, and between wages earned amongst various racial groups. Many commentators believe that employer policies forbidding employees from discussing pay with co-workers perpetuate these wage gaps, by preventing workers from finding out if they […]