Law and the Workplace

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Missed Payroll in the Wake of Bank Collapse:  Implications and Strategies

By Allan Bloom, Philippe A. Lebel, Katrina McCann, David Gobel and Jennifer McGrew on Posted in FLSA, Strategic Corporate Planning, Wage and Hour
In the wake of the recent news of bank failures, businesses—and their investors—are rightly concerned about the implications of a missed or delayed payroll.  Let’s look at those implications, and strategies for minimizing risk. Obligation to Make Payroll Under federal and most state laws, employers have both timing-of-pay and frequency-of-pay obligations.  Under most of these … Continue Reading

New York State Legislators Propose “Wrongful Discharge” Law

By Allan Bloom, Evandro Gigante, Laura Fant and Hannah Morris on Posted in Performance Management, Discipline & Termination
A trio of New York State Senators has proposed a bill that would create a cause of action for “wrongful discharge.”  If enacted, the “Safeguarding Employees and Accountability for Termination (SEAT) Act” would be codified in a new Article 20-D of the Labor Law and take effect 90 days after being signed into law.  The … Continue Reading

SCOTUS:  Daily Rate Doesn’t Satisfy FLSA’s Salary Basis Test for Exemption, Even If It’s Huge!

By Allan Bloom on Posted in Wage and Hour
It’s always exciting when the Supreme Court takes up a wage and hour issue—at least for us.  Earlier this week, in Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc. v. Hewitt, the court tackled the question of whether a daily rate can satisfy the “salary basis” test for exemption under the Fair Labor Standards Act as an executive, … Continue Reading

New York Employers Must Make Required Workplace Postings Available Electronically to Employees

By Evandro Gigante and Laura Fant on Posted in Workplace Policies and Procedures
Effectively immediately, employers in New York State are required to make digital versions of required federal and state postings available to employees. Specifically, under an amendment to Section 201 of the N.Y. Labor Law, digital versions of “all . . . documents required to be physically posted at a worksite pursuant to state law or federal … Continue Reading

Proposed Legislation Limiting Inquiries into an Applicant’s Criminal History Prior to an Offer of Employment Introduced in the New York State Legislature

By Evandro Gigante, Laura Fant and Margo Richard on Posted in Hiring/Background Checks
On February 7, 2023, Bill No. A03726 was introduced before the New York State Assembly which, if passed, would prohibit employers from inquiring about or making statements regarding “the arrest record or conviction record of any person who is in the process of applying for employment or interviewing for employment with such employer.” This proposed … Continue Reading

UPDATED: New York State Enacts Amendments to Pay Transparency Law Taking Effect Later This Year

By Allan Bloom, Evandro Gigante, Laura Fant and Scott Tan on Posted in Hiring/Background Checks, Pay Equity
***UPDATE: Governor Hochul signed the amendments into law on March 3, 2023.*** The New York State Legislature has approved chapter amendments to  New York State’s pay transparency law, which is slated to take effect on September 17, 2023.  The most notable revision would provide that the law applies to remote positions physically performed outside of … Continue Reading

New Jersey Enacts Temporary Workers’ Bill Of Rights Law

By Evandro Gigante, Laura Fant and Margo Richard on Posted in Hiring/Background Checks, Workplace Policies and Procedures
On February 6, 2023, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed the Temporary Workers’ Bill of Rights (A1474/S511) into law. The law only covers temporary laborers who are assigned to work by a temporary help service firm in a “designated classification placement,” which includes certain workers in food preparation and service, building and grounds cleaning/maintenance, personal … Continue Reading

NYC Council to Consider Expanding the City’s Pay Transparency Law to Mandate Disclosures Regarding Bonuses, Equity and Other “Non-Wage” Compensation

By Allan Bloom, Evandro Gigante, Laura Fant and Hannah Morris on Posted in Hiring/Background Checks
A proposed ordinance has been introduced before the New York City Council to significantly expand the existing NYC pay transparency law. As we have previously reported, the current law requires most New York City employers to disclose the minimum and maximum salary or hourly wage for open roles in postings for job, promotions or transfer … Continue Reading

New York State Releases Proposed Changes to Model Sexual Harassment Prevention Policy

By Evandro Gigante, Laura Fant, Arielle E. Kobetz and Hannah Morris on Posted in Discrimination, Harassment and Retaliation, Workplace Policies and Procedures
On January 12, 2023 the New York State Department of Labor (“DOL”) issued an updated Proposed Sexual Harassment Prevention Model Policy which, among other things, addresses remote work, gender identity and bystander intervention methods.  The public has 30 days (until February 11) to comment on the proposed revisions prior to a final version being adopted. … Continue Reading

New York State DOL Increases Upstate New York Minimum Wage, Proposes Hike in Upstate Minimum Salary for Exemption

By Allan Bloom on Posted in Salary basis, Wage and Hour
As part of its goal of phasing in a $15 minimum wage for all employees in New York, the State began implementing annual increases in 2016 across all regions.  The annual increases are published by the Commissioner of Labor on or about October 1 of each year, and are based on percentage increases determined by … Continue Reading

Looking Ahead to 2023: Pay Transparency Developments

By Allan Bloom, Evandro Gigante, Laura Fant, Arielle E. Kobetz and Theresa Madonna on Posted in Discrimination, Harassment and Retaliation, Hiring/Background Checks
Paying WagesAs we previously reported, as of November 1, 2022, New York City’s salary transparency law requires covered employers who advertise or post a job, promotion, or transfer opportunity for a role that can or will be performed, at least in part, in NYC to disclose in such advertisement of posting the minimum and maximum annual … Continue Reading

Regular Rate Update: California

By Allan Bloom on Posted in FLSA, Wage and Hour
Earlier this month, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit examined whether certain types of employee compensation—shift differentials and holiday premiums—are includable in the “regular rate” for purposes of calculating overtime pay under California law.  You can read our blog about the decision in our California Employment Law Update here. For a crash … Continue Reading

UPDATED: President Biden Signs Bill Limiting Pre-dispute Nondisclosure Agreements in Sexual Harassment and Assault Disputes

By Evandro Gigante and Laura Fant on Posted in Discrimination, Harassment and Retaliation
***UPDATE: On December 7, 2022, President Biden signed the Speak Out Act into law.  The law takes effect immediately.*** In a bipartisan 315-109 vote, the U.S. House of Representatives has approved a bill that would render pre-dispute nondisclosure and nondisparagement clauses judicially unenforceable with respect to sexual assault or sexual harassment disputes.  The bill previously … Continue Reading

DOL’s New Independent Contractor Rule: A Return to 2020

By Allan Bloom on Posted in Biden Administration Coverage, FLSA, Independent Contractor, Misclassification, Wage and Hour
It’s been a bumpy road for the federal rules on independent contractor status under the Fair Labor Standards Act. In the courts, the test has always focused on the “economic reality” of the relationship between a worker and the entity that benefits from the services provided to determine whether the worker is an employee or … Continue Reading

What to Do When Your Timekeeping System Crashes

By Allan Bloom on Posted in Wage and Hour
A number of companies suffered collateral damage last winter as a result of a cyber attack on a major provider of time and attendance software.  With your timekeeping systems compromised, how do you determine what to pay your non-exempt employees, particularly with a payroll processing deadline looming? The Governing Principles To properly pay overtime-eligible employees, … Continue Reading

Texas District Court Holds EEOC Guidance on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Discrimination Unlawful

By Evandro Gigante, Laura Fant, Arielle E. Kobetz and Dakota D. Treece on Posted in Discrimination, Harassment and Retaliation
EEOC sealOn October 1, 2022, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas held that Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) guidance addressing sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination in the workplace is unlawful. The case is State of Texas v. EEOC, Case No. 2:21-cv-00194-Z. Background As we previously reported, on June 15, 2020, … Continue Reading

Washington, D.C. to Expand Antidiscrimination Protections to Include Independent Contractors and Homeless Individuals

By Guy Brenner, Laura Fant and Theresa Madonna on Posted in Discrimination, Harassment and Retaliation
Seal of the District of ColumbiaEffective October 1, 2022, an amendment to the District of Columbia’s Human Rights Act (“the Act”) will expand the universe of workers protected under the Act, as well as codify workplace harassment as an unlawful discriminatory practice. First, the amendment expands the Act’s definition of a protected “employee” to now also include individuals “working or … Continue Reading

New York City to End Private Employee COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate

By Evandro Gigante, Laura Fant and Arielle E. Kobetz on Posted in Coronavirus
New York City Mayor Eric Adams has announced that the City’s private employee COVID-19 vaccine mandate will be lifted effective November 1, 2022. As we previously reported, the NYC mandate requires all private workers in New York City who perform in-person work or interact with the public to show proof they have received at least … Continue Reading

D.C. Paid Leave Law Changes Go Into Effect October 1, 2022

By Guy Brenner, Laura Fant and Caroline Libby on Posted in Leaves of Absences
Seal of the District of ColumbiaThis past July, the Council of the District of Columbia amended its statutory requirements for Universal Paid Leave through the Universal Paid Leave Emergency Amendment Act of 2022 (the “Act”). The amendments made to the D.C. paid leave program by the Act, among other things, increase the maximum duration of paid leave benefits, decrease the … Continue Reading

Eleventh Circuit Narrows Nationwide Injunction On President Biden’s Contractor Vaccine Mandate

By Guy Brenner, Jacob P. Tucker and Claudia Khoury-Yacoub on Posted in Biden Administration Coverage, Coronavirus
On August 26, the Eleventh Circuit issued its long-awaited decision in State of Georgia, et al v. President of the United States, et al, Case No. 21-14269.  The Eleventh Circuit upheld, but narrowed, an existing nationwide preliminary injunction enjoining enforcement of President Biden’s contractor and subcontractor vaccine mandate.  Specifically, the Court upheld the injunction as … Continue Reading

Federal District Court Says Pre-Shift COVID Screening Time Not Compensable

By Allan Bloom on Posted in FLSA, Wage and Hour
In the first reported decision we’ve seen addressing the issue head on, a federal district court in California dismissed a putative collective action claim under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) seeking payment for time spent in pre-shift COVID screening. Prior to clocking in each day, the plaintiff—a non-exempt truck driver whose job duties included … Continue Reading

UPDATED: New York State Enacts Law Requiring Wage Ranges in Job Postings

By Evandro Gigante, Allan Bloom, Laura Fant and Raymond Arroyo on Posted in Uncategorized
Paying Wages***UPDATE: Governor Kathy Hochul signed the bill into law on December 21, 2022.  The law takes effect on September 17, 2023.*** The New York State Legislature has passed Senate Bill S9427, which will require employers with four or more employees to include in job postings – including those for promotion or transfer opportunities – the … Continue Reading
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