Law and the Workplace

Category Archives: Leaves of Absences

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Massachusetts Legislature Passes Compromise Bill Increasing Minimum Wage, Establishing Paid Family and Medical Leave

By Mark W. Batten, Samantha Regenbogen Manelin and Laura Franks on Posted in Leaves of Absences, Wage and Hour, Workplace Policies and Procedures
On June 20, 2018, the Massachusetts legislature passed House Bill 4640, “An Act Relative to Minimum Wage, Paid Family Medical Leave, and the Sales Tax Holiday.” The bill increases minimum wage, eliminates premium Sunday pay for retail workers, and establishes a state paid family and medical leave insurance program. The bill also creates an annual … Continue Reading

Duluth, Minnesota Enacts Paid Sick Leave Law

By Evandro Gigante and Laura Fant on Posted in Leaves of Absences, Workplace Policies and Procedures
Leave of absence formDuluth, Minnesota has become the latest jurisdiction to enact a law providing eligible employees with paid leave for their own medical needs, those of a family member, or other covered reasons.  The Ordinance will take effect on January 1, 2020. The Ordinance will apply to employers with five or more employees nationwide.  Covered workers in … Continue Reading

New Jersey Enacts Statewide Paid Sick Leave Law

By Evandro Gigante, Laura Fant and Maryssa Mataras on Posted in Leaves of Absences, Workplace Policies and Procedures
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy (D) has signed into law the New Jersey Paid Sick Leave Act (the “Act”), which will provide eligible employees with paid leave for their own medical needs, those of a family member, or other covered reasons. The Act will take effect on October 29, 2018. Covered Employers and Employees The … Continue Reading

Are You Prepared for the Massachusetts Pregnant Workers Fairness Act to Go Into Effect on April 1?

By Mark W. Batten, Samantha Regenbogen Manelin and Laura Franks on Posted in Accessibility & Accommodation, Discrimination, Harassment and Retaliation, Leaves of Absences, Workplace Policies and Procedures
As the April 1, 2018 effective date of the Massachusetts Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (“MPWFA”) draws near, it is time to ensure that company policies and practices are in compliance with the new law. Within the last few months, the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (“MCAD”) has issued interpretative guidance (including initial guidance issued January 23, … Continue Reading

Austin, Texas Enacts Paid Sick and Safe Leave Law

By Allan Bloom, Laura Fant and Arielle E. Kobetz on Posted in Leaves of Absences
Leave of absence formThe Austin, Texas City Council has enacted a paid sick and safe leave ordinance, becoming the first southern city to pass such a law for private sector employees.  The ordinance will take effect on October 1, 2018 for employers with five or more employees; coverage for smaller employers begins on October 1, 2020. Employees who work … Continue Reading

Maryland Senate Overrides Governor’s Veto of Paid Sick Leave Law

By Guy Brenner and Emilie Adams on Posted in Leaves of Absences
On Friday, January 12, 2018, the Maryland Senate voted 30-17 to override Governor Larry Hogan’s veto of the Maryland Healthy Working Families Act (the “Act”) which passed the Maryland General Assembly last year.  The Maryland House of Delegates overrode the veto on Thursday.  Accordingly, Governor Hogan’s veto has been overridden and the Act will become … Continue Reading

NYC Council Passes Bill to Expand Coverage Under the Earned Sick Time Act

By Evandro Gigante and Laura Fant on Posted in Leaves of Absences
Leave of absence formThe New York City Council has passed a bill that would amend the NYC Earned Sick Time Act (“ESTA”) to expand the covered reasons for leave to include situations where an employee or an employee’s family member is a victim of domestic violence, sexual offenses, stalking or human trafficking. The bill would also expand the … Continue Reading

Model Leave Request, Certification and Waiver Forms Issued for the New York Paid Family Leave Law

By Evandro Gigante, Laura Fant and Arielle E. Kobetz on Posted in Leaves of Absences
Leave of absence formWith the January 1, 2018 effective date for the New York Paid Family Leave Law fast approaching, the New York State Workers’ Compensation Board (“WCB”) has issued model paid family leave (“PFL”) request and certification forms, as well as a model waiver form. The forms are available on the WCB’s New York Paid Family Leave … Continue Reading

7th Circuit Holds Long-Term Leave Is Not a Reasonable Accommodation Under the ADA

By Steven J. Pearlman and Alex Weinstein on Posted in Accessibility & Accommodation, Discrimination, Harassment and Retaliation, Leaves of Absences
Leave of absence formIn a recent decision in Severson v. Heartland Woodcraft, Inc. (Sept. 20, 2017), the Seventh Circuit affirmed a district court’s ruling that an employer did not violate the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) by failing to provide an employee with a long-term medical leave of absence.  Indeed, the court found that “a long-term leave of absence … Continue Reading

Rhode Island General Assembly Passes Paid Sick Leave Law

By Scott Faust and Lee Douthitt on Posted in Leaves of Absences
Leave of absence formOn September 19, 2017, the Rhode Island General Assembly passed The Health and Safe Families and Workplace Act (the “Act”), House Bill 5413B and Senate Bill 0290B, respectively, guaranteeing roughly 90 percent of the state’s workforce the opportunity to earn paid sick and safe leave.  The Governor has already indicated that she will sign the … Continue Reading

Guidance Issued on Taxability of Contributions and Benefits under New York Paid Family Leave Law

By Evandro Gigante, Laura Fant and Arielle E. Kobetz on Posted in Leaves of Absences
Leave of absence formThe New York State Department of Taxation and Finance has issued official guidance on several taxability issues relating to the New York Paid Family Leave Law (“PFLL”), which goes into effect on January 1, 2018.  Among other details addressed, employee contributions under the PFLL shall be made on an after-tax basis, and benefits paid to … Continue Reading

[Podcast] The Proskauer Brief: New York State’s Paid Family Leave Law

By Harris Mufson and Laura Fant on Posted in Leaves of Absences, The Proskauer Brief Podcast
Proskauer senior counsel Harris Mufson and associate Laura Fant provide an overview of New York State’s Paid Family Leave law and give some tips on how to prepare for its implementation. Many of our clients have been inquiring about this new law, set to go into effect in New York on January 1, 2018. The law will … Continue Reading

[Podcast] The Proskauer Brief: Congressional Legislation Update

By Allan Bloom and Rachel Philion on Posted in Discrimination, Harassment and Retaliation, Leaves of Absences, The Proskauer Brief Podcast, Wage and Hour
Which federal bills will become law? Proskauer partner Allan Bloom and associate Rachel Philion run through some of the key proposed congressional legislation in the pipeline that we are keeping our eyes on, and provide insight into the potential implications for employers if they pass. We also provide an update on developments from the U.S. Department of … Continue Reading

Final Regulations for New York State Paid Family Leave Law Adopted

By Evandro Gigante and Laura Fant on Posted in Leaves of Absences
Leave of absence formThe New York Workers Compensation Board (the “Board”) has adopted final regulations for implementation of the New York Paid Family Leave Law (“PFLL”).  The final regulations are effectively immediately. Long awaited by New York employers, the final regulations make several changes to the prior proposed regulations, which were issued by the Board in May and … Continue Reading

New York Paid Family Leave Final Regulations Still Awaited As Proposed July 1 Date to Begin Deductions Arrives

By Evandro Gigante and Laura Fant on Posted in Leaves of Absences
Leave of absence formAs we have previously reported, on May 24, 2017, the New York Workers Compensation Board issued revisions to its proposed rules for implementation of the New York Paid Family Leave Law (“PFLL”).  While the public comment period for the proposed revisions closed on June 23, we are still awaiting publication of the final regulations. The … Continue Reading

Maximum Employee Contribution Rate Announced for New York State Paid Family Leave Law

By Evandro Gigante and Laura Fant on Posted in Leaves of Absences
Leave of absence formAs we recently reported, the New York Workers Compensation Board has issued revisions to its proposed rules for implementation of the New York Paid Family Leave Law (“PFLL”). Subsequently, on June 1, 2017, the New York State Department of Financial Services (“DFS”) issued a statement setting forth the maximum employee contribution rate for PFLL coverage … Continue Reading

Revisions to Proposed Regulations for New York State Paid Family Leave Law Issued

By Evandro Gigante, Laura Fant and Esther Pak on Posted in Leaves of Absences
Leave of absence formThe New York Workers Compensation Board has issued revisions to its proposed rules for implementation of the New York Paid Family Leave Law (“PFLL”). As we previously reported, the Board issued initial proposed rules for implementation of the PFLL in February 2017.  The current revisions, which were issued on May 24, 2017 following the Board’s … Continue Reading

Proposed Regulations Issued for New York State Paid Family Leave Law

By Evandro Gigante and Laura Fant on Posted in Leaves of Absences
Leave of absence formThe New York Workers Compensation Board has issued a proposed rule for implementation of the statewide Paid Family Leave Law (“PFLL”), which goes into effect on January 1, 2018. As we previously reported, the PFLL will require employers to provide all eligible full- and part-time employees with paid, job-protected leave to: (i) care for a … Continue Reading

Proskauer’s Value Insights Survey is Now Live

By Elise M. Bloom on Posted in Accessibility & Accommodation, Class/Collective Action, Discrimination, Harassment and Retaliation, Hiring/Background Checks, Independent Contractor, Leaves of Absences, Litigation and Arbitration, Performance Management, Discipline & Termination, Strategic Corporate Planning, Vacation policy, Wage and Hour, Workplace Policies and Procedures, Workplace Restructuring and WARN
Proskauer’s second Value Insights: Delivering Value in Labor and Employment Law survey is now live and we want to hear from you. Value Insights explores how in-house counsel can maximize the value they provide to their business partners and correspondingly, how they can most effectively partner with outside counsel on managing labor and employment work. … Continue Reading

Breaking: D.C. Council Passes Generous Employee Paid Leave Mandate

By Guy Brenner and Ryan Hutzler on Posted in Leaves of Absences
Yesterday (December 20, 2016), the District of Columbia Council passed a bill that would create one of the country’s most generous paid family leave programs. If it becomes law, the Universal Paid Leave Amendment Act of 2016 (the “Act”) will provide all full and part time private sector workers in Washington, D.C. with eight weeks … Continue Reading

Participate in Proskauer’s Value Insights Survey

By Elise M. Bloom on Posted in Accessibility & Accommodation, Class/Collective Action, Discrimination, Harassment and Retaliation, Hiring/Background Checks, Leaves of Absences, Litigation and Arbitration, Performance Management, Discipline & Termination, Vacation policy, Wage and Hour, Workplace Policies and Procedures, Workplace Restructuring and WARN
Last year, Proskauer’s Labor and Employment Law Department conducted its inaugural Value Insights: Delivering Value in Labor and Employment Law survey, a resource that includes input from in-house decision makers on labor and employment matters and provides in-house counsel with tools to both more effectively help their business partners achieve their objectives and to work with … Continue Reading

Arizona and Washington Become Latest States to Require Paid Sick Leave

By Evandro Gigante and Laura Fant on Posted in Leaves of Absences
This Election Day, voters in Arizona and Washington approved measures requiring employers to provide eligible employees with paid sick leave. These states are the latest to join the ever-expanding patchwork of jurisdictions around the country entitling employees to paid leave for their own medical needs and those of certain family members, among other covered purposes. … Continue Reading
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