Latest from Law and the Workplace
New Massachusetts Law Creates Expanded Definition of Racial Discrimination in Employment and Other Areas to Encompass “Natural or Protective Hairstyles”
On July 26, 2022, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker signed the Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair Act (“CROWN Act”) into law, making Massachusetts the 18th state to enact legislation aimed at protecting against discrimination on the basis of hairstyles that are historically associated with race. The CROWN Act will go into effect … Continue Reading
New York Extends Paid Leave for COVID Vaccinations for an Additional Year
New York Governor Kathy Hochul has signed into law a bill extending the State’s COVID vaccine paid leave law for an additional year, to December 31, 2023. As we previously reported, the law requires New York employers to provide employees with “a sufficient period of time, not to exceed four hours” of paid leave per … Continue Reading
Paying Wages in Pennies or Chicken—Cool or Not Cool?
Who says wage and hour law is boring? Not us. We came across two wage and hour stories this year that are too awesome not to share. Auto-Repair Shop Owner Pays Employee’s Final Wages in Pennies, Is Sued by DOL As the New York Times reported back in January, the U.S. Department of Labor filed … Continue Reading
New York State’s Workplace Sexual Harassment Complaint Hotline is Live
On July 19, 2022, New York State Governor Kathy Hochul announced the launch of the state’s confidential hotline for complaints of workplace sexual harassment. As we previously reported, S812A (enacted in March 2022) establishes a toll-free confidential hotline, administered by the New York State Department of Human Rights (NYSDHR), “to provide individuals with complaints of workplace … Continue Reading
D.C. Council Passes Law Significantly Scaling Back Non-Compete Ban
Mayor Bowser signed the Amendment on July 27, 2022. The Amendment will go into effect on October 1, 2022 (absent action by Congress, which is not expected). On July 12, 2022, the District of Columbia Council voted to modify key aspects of the Ban on Non-Compete Agreements Amendment Act (“the Act”), passing the Non-Compete Clarification … Continue Reading
EEOC Issues New Workplace Guidance Regarding COVID-19 Testing
On July 12, 2022, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) – the agency which investigates and enforces federal antidiscrimination laws in the workplace – updated its guidance across several different areas relating to COVID-19 and the workplace, including when employees can be required to undergo COVID-19 testing, reasonable accommodations, and parameters around mandatory vaccination programs. … Continue Reading
