Articles Posted in Blog

Every day, countless employees undergo security screenings before and after their work shifts. While many of these individuals believe that their employers should pay for the time it takes to complete these screenings, the Supreme Court disagrees under certain circumstances.  In a unanimous decision, the Court held that security screening time is non-compensable, because it…

Massachusetts voters spoke up for workers’ rights when they approved a law requiring sick leave for employees in the private sector. As of July 1, 2015, virtually all employers must allow up to 40 hours per year of sick leave. Variations on the Sick Leave Law Under the law, employees may use their accumulated sick…

The Massachusetts legislature recently implemented legislation to assist victims of domestic violence with job protection when they require leave from work. The law applies to businesses employing 50 or more workers. It provides up to 15 days of leave during a 12 month period for employees who are victims of abusive behavior. The leave can be…

In 2010, former employees filed a lawsuit against Goldman Sachs, alleging that the company perpetuates employment discrimination against female workers. USA Today recently reported that two plaintiffs are seeking to certify the lawsuit as a class-action case, which will expand the time frame of the lawsuit. They reportedly hope to include allegations spanning back over two…

In Michigan this week, bipartisan legislation was signed protecting mothers who nurse their children in public from discrimination and prosecution. 45 states now have some form of law allowing women to breastfeed in public or private locations. The “Breastfeeding Anti-Discrimination Act” allows a woman to breastfeed a child in any public place. Public places include,…

New legislation has been proposed that would increase the minimum salary basis level that employers need to pay as part of the requirements to avoid the overtime rules. Workers classified as executive, administrative or professional employees would have their weekly minimum pay more than doubled, and the floor for highly-compensated employees will increase too, by…

The California Supreme Court defined some parameters of employment law regulations when it ruled in favor of an illegal immigrant/undocumented worker who sued an employer for an unlawful firing.  The employer tried to argue that the fact the worker was undocumented was a form of misconduct that justified the termination, but the Court was not swayed.…

Two crucial pieces of proposed legislation will be decided by July 31st.  The proposals include a hike in the minimum wage to $11.00 and a ban on noncompete agreements. Both proposals are great news for employees. If the legislation for the new minimum wage passes, then by January 1, 2017 the minimum wage in Massachusetts…

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) appears to be on the verge of issuing new guidelines on pregnancy discrimination. Following a large and rapidly increasing number of lawsuits centering around pregnancy bias, the EEOC seems poised to take action following comments made by Solicitor General Donald B. Verrilli Jr. The EEOC would seek to…

Employees in Colorado will have increased rights under the state’s Wage Protection Act of 2014. The law has been expanded to give the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE) more power to pursue wage claims on behalf of the employee. The new law also includes the expansion of the state’s wage payment law to…