Category Archives: Discrimination, Harassment and Retaliation
Subscribe to Discrimination, Harassment and Retaliation RSS Feed[Podcast]: California’s Legislative Response to the #MeToo Movement
New York State Enacts Law to Protect Employees’ Reproductive Health Decisions
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has signed into law a bill which, effective immediately, prohibits employers from accessing information on employees’ or dependents’ reproductive health without prior consent. Specifically, the new law prohibits an employer from “accessing an employee’s personal information regarding the employee’s or the employee’s dependent’s reproductive health decision making, including but not … Continue Reading
Emerging Trend: ADA Does Not Cover Potential Future Disabilities
Heeding the adage “no one knows what the future may hold,” the Seventh, Eighth and Eleventh Circuits have uniformly refused to extend protections of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to employees with a perceived risk of a potential impairment. In each case, an employer either declined to hire an applicant or terminated an employee … Continue Reading
Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities Issues Guidance on Sexual Harassment Training and Notice Requirements
New York State Issues Additional Guidance Following Recent Expansion of Workplace Anti-Discrimination Protections
As we previously reported, on August 12, 2019, New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo signed into law significant legislation to expand workplace anti-discrimination protections. The State has now updated its FAQs to provide additional guidance on these new requirements. There are several key points now included in the guidance that provide some clarity on employers’ … Continue Reading
Voting and Other Political Activities: Is Your Workplace Ready for Election Day?
Another Election Day is just around the corner. And with nearly every state having at least one law addressing voting leave and/or other political-related activities, it can be easy to get tripped up in the details. In addition, some states, including New York, have recently updated their employee voting laws. The following is an overview … Continue Reading
NYC Commission on Human Rights Issues Enforcement Guidance on National Origin and Immigration Status Discrimination
The New York City Commission on Human Rights has issued new enforcement guidance on discrimination based on actual or perceived national origin or immigration status in employment, as well as in housing and public accommodations. While enforcement guidance does not have the same force of law as a statute or formal regulations, it provides significant … Continue Reading
[Podcast]: U.K. Law for U.S. Employers
[Podcast]: New York State Expanded Protections Against Workplace Harassment
New York State to Require Reasonable Accommodation for Victims of Domestic Violence
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has signed into law amendments to the New York State Human Rights Law (NYSHRL) that expand protections for employees who are victims of domestic violence. The amendments will take effect on November 18, 2019. While the NYSHRL has long prohibited discrimination against victims of domestic violence, the amendments expressly state … Continue Reading
Substantial Changes Ahead for Illinois Employers in 2020 Relating to Sexual Harassment Training, Mandatory Arbitration Agreements, and More
On August 9, 2019, Governor Pritzker signed into law Public Act 101-0221 (the “Act”), which enhances protections against workplace sexual harassment and discrimination. The Act creates new laws and amends several existing ones, including the Illinois Human Rights Act (“IHRA”), as summarized below: NEW LAWS The Workplace Transparency Act (“WTA”). The Workplace Transparency Act will … Continue Reading
New York State Enacts Law Prohibiting Religious Discrimination Based on Appearance
New York State Significantly Expands Workplace Anti-Discrimination Protections
On August 12, 2019, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed into law significant expansions to workplace anti-discrimination protections in New York State. As we previously reported in detail, the new legislation includes numerous measures regarding discrimination and harassment in all forms (not just sexual harassment) in the workplace. The signing of the bill triggers the countdown to … Continue Reading
[Podcast]: New York State Enacts Law Prohibiting Hairstyle Discrimination
New Jersey Expands Medical Marijuana Protections
New Jersey Becomes the Latest Jurisdiction to Enact Ban on Salary History Inquiries
The push to eliminate inquiries into job applicants’ salary history continues, as New Jersey has enacted a statewide law that will restrict employers from obtaining and utilizing applicants’ salary history information during the hiring process. The new law, which will take effect on January 1, 2020, will make it an unlawful employment practice for any … Continue Reading
Rock Beats Scissor: Federal Law Cuts Through New York State’s Attempt to Prohibit Mandatory Arbitration of Sexual Harassment Claims
Toledo, Ohio Passes Ban on Salary History Inquiries
California Enacts Law Prohibiting Hairstyle Discrimination … with New York and New Jersey Close Behind
The Clock Is Ticking: Less Than Three Months Until the NYS Deadline for Mandatory Sexual Harassment Prevention Training
As we find ourselves in the midst of summer, employers in New York should keep an eye on the upcoming October 9th deadline for providing anti-harassment training to all employees. As we previously reported, effective October 9, 2018, all New York State employers are required to adopt written sexual harassment prevention policies and institute annual … Continue Reading
Colorado Enacts Laws Regarding Pay Equity, Salary History and Criminal Background Inquiries
Connecticut Expands Sexual Harassment Training and Notice Requirements
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont recently signed into law the Time’s Up Act (the “Act”), which amends existing state law to impose greater sexual harassment training and notice requirements on employers. Training Requirements Currently, Connecticut law requires employers with 50 or more employees to provide two hours of sexual harassment training to all supervisory employees. While … Continue Reading
Nevada Enacts Laws Regarding Paid Personal Leave, Drug Testing, and Minimum Wage
Continuing the trend of states passing increasingly progressive employment regulations, Nevada recently enacted three new laws addressing paid leave, workplace drug testing, and minimum wage. Paid Personal Leave Following in the footsteps of Maine, which recently became the first state to enact a personal leave law, SB 312 will require private employers with 50 or … Continue Reading
