On September 30, 2020, New York State’s new statewide permanent sick leave law goes into effect, requiring employers statewide to provide unpaid and paid sick leave benefits to their employees. With the law’s effective date drawing near, we provide below a summary of some of the major provisions of the law. For more detail, please refer to our previously issued client alert, which you can access here.
Archives for September 2, 2020
Jackson Lewis Joins National LGBT Chamber of Commerce to Advance LGBT Workplace and Supply Chain Inclusion in Legal Services
The National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC), the business voice of the LGBT Community, is proud to welcome national employment law firm Jackson Lewis P.C. as a National Legal Partner.
Patricia Anderson Pryor Discusses FFCRA Leave Obligations
Patricia Anderson Pryor discusses confusion over employers’ obligations regarding paid leave under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act in “Covid-19 Leave Suits Trickle In With Spike Expected This Fall,” published by Bloomberg Law.
DOL Issues New Opinion Letters on Fluctuating Workweek Hours Requirement, Other Topics
Continuing the practice it reinstituted during the current administration, on August 31, 2020 the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Wage Hour Division (WHD) issued four new Opinion Letters, addressing a variety of topics. That brings the total to 57 Opinion Letters issued since 2018, including the re-publication of 17 Opinion
Directly-Observed Urine Collections Do Not Constitute Invasion of Privacy Where Employees Consented to Drug Testing
The Supreme Court of Ohio held that an at-will employee has no cause of action for common law invasion of privacy after the employer required the employee to submit to a directly-observed urine collection drug test. Lunsford v. Sterilite of Ohio, LLC, slip op. No. 2020-Ohio-4193 (August 26, 2020).
Sterilite
DOL Weighs in on Fluctuating Workweek Method: Employee Hours Do Not Need to Fluctuate Below 40 to Qualify
On August 31, 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Wage and Hour Division (WHD) released opinion letter FLSA2020-14.
Independent Contractor Issues in California: Summer 2020 Update
As the world focused its attention on the COVID-19 pandemic, other legal issues took a back seat. In California in the summer of 2020, however, the topic of whether a worker should be classified as an independent contractor or an employee has come to the fore. Several notable developments
Do Employers Still Need to Provide Time to Vote in California?
As safe in-person voting became an issue in other states, California Governor Gavin Newsom issued an executive order requiring each county’s election officials to send vote-by-mail ballots to registered voters for the November election. The Governor also issued an executive order requiring counties to provide early polling locations for at
Simple, Stringent, And Slow: New Reopening Plans for California
On August 28th, Governor Newsom announced new reopening plans for California in hopes of preventing another COVID-19 surge. The plan incorporates information learned over the past six months in addition to new scientific discoveries to create a system for reducing the transmission of COVID-19. It involves a four-tiered color system
San Mateo County Approves Supplemental Paid Sick Leave Ordinance to Assist Employees Impacted by COVID-19
On July 7, 2020, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors adopted an emergency ordinance to establish supplemental paid sick leave for COVID-19 related reasons. The ordinance took effect on July 8, 2020, and will remain in effect through December 31, 2020. It applies only to unincorporated areas of San
HRW Elects Richard Loftus and Elizabeth Monnin-Browder to Partnership
BOSTON, MA – Hirsch Roberts Weinstein LLP is proud to announce that Richard Loftus and Elizabeth Monnin-Browder were elected to the partnership effective September 1, 2020.
Richard Loftus advises and represents his clients on an array of employment-related issues, including wage and hour disputes, employment discrimination cases, and restrictive covenants.
The “New” AB 5
California’s landmark independent contractor law, AB 5, has only been in effect for eight months. But in that time frame, the law remains controversial and makes headlines every week. The law presents compliance challenges for businesses in the Golden State, and things aren’t getting any easier.
Department of Labor Finds IRS Standard Mileage Reimbursement Rates Not Required For Delivery Drivers
On August 31, 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) issued an opinion letter finding that employers of delivery drivers need not reimburse mileage at the IRS “standard” reimbursement rate.