The Massachusetts Department of Family and Medical Leave has announced the employer contribution rates and benefit amounts under the state Paid Family and Medical Leave Act (PFMLA) beginning January 1, 2022.
Articles About Massachusetts Labor and Employment Law.
Massachusetts Extends COVID-19 Emergency Paid Sick Leave
On September 29, 2021, Governor Charlie Baker signed House Bill 4127 (Chapter 55 of the Acts of 2021). This emergency law extends the Massachusetts COVID-19 Emergency Paid Sick Leave program through April 1, 2022. Effective October 1, 2021, in addition to the reasons employees were previously permitted to use MA
Massachusetts COVID-19 Emergency Paid Sick Leave Extended to April 1, 2022
On May 28, 2021, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker signed into law “An Act Providing for Massachusetts COVID-19 Emergency Paid Sick Leave.” The act requires eligible Massachusetts employers to provide emergency paid sick leave to employees who are unable to work for COVID-19–related reasons.
Massachusetts Extends COVID-19 Emergency Paid Sick Leave to April 2022
The temporary COVID-19 Massachusetts emergency paid sick leave (MA EPSL) has been extended through April 1, 2022.
In spring 2021, Massachusetts established a statewide mandate for employers to temporarily provide employees up to 40 hours of MA EPSL when they are unable to work due to specific qualifying reasons related to
Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Addresses ‘Service Charges’ Under the Massachusetts Tips Act
Massachusetts is seeing an increase in Tips Act claims, and the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) just reinforced that a lack of clarity in fee- and tip-related documentation may result in employer liability, including mandatory treble damages and attorneys’ fees. The Massachusetts Tips Act requires that an employer or person
Service Charge or Administrative Fee? A Distinction With a Difference, the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts Holds
Although it may have intended for a customer charge to be treated as an administrative overhead fee separate from gratuities paid to its employees, a country club’s reference to the amount as a “service charge” in some documents necessarily required that the amount retained be paid to the employees, the
Massachusetts High Court’s Ruling on the Domestic Violence and Abuse Leave Act Holds Lessons for Employers
On August 25, 2021, the Supreme Judicial Court (SJC), the highest court in Massachusetts, ruled on the elements of a retaliation claim under the Domestic Violence and Abuse Leave Act (DVLA). The SJC held that an employer could be liable for retaliation under the DVLA where it rescinded an individual’s
Boston Mandates Face Coverings Indoors Effective August 27, 2021
The City of Boston has announced that, in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it will require individuals to wear face coverings “whenever they are indoors on the premises of a business, club, place of assembly or other place that is open to members of the public, including but not limited to retail establishments, restaurants, bars, performance venues, social clubs, event spaces, and municipal buildings.”
Recent Developments Affecting Noncompetition Agreements in Massachusetts
There have been two recent developments affecting noncompetition agreements in Massachusetts that employers need to be aware of and take into account as they craft and review their own restrictive covenant forms.
New Judicial Decision – Employment is Not Sufficient Consideration
Pursuant to the Massachusetts Noncompetition Agreement Act, M.
MA COVID-19 Paid Sick Leave Update: Sample Request Form and Reimbursement Process
On July 8, 2021, the Executive Office for Administration and Finance (“EOAF”) made available a sample form for employees to request COVID-19 Sick Leave under the recently enacted COVID-19 Temporary Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act (the “Act”). The Act, which has been in effect since May 28, permits employees with a primary place of employment in Massachusetts to take up to 40 hours of COVID-19 Sick Leave if they are unable to work for specified COVID-19-related reasons. In order for employers to receive reimbursements from the Commonwealth for the costs of providing COVID-19 Sick Leave, employers must require their employees to submit written requests that include certain information.
First Circuit Upholds Federal Preemption of Massachusetts Wage Act Claims
On June 10, 2021, the First Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the dismissal of a plaintiff’s lawsuit alleging, among other things, failure to pay wages under the Massachusetts Wage Act. In Rose v. RTN Federal Credit Union, the First Circuit held that the Labor Management Relations Act (LMRA) preempted the
What Employers Need to Know About the Massachusetts COVID-19 Emergency Paid Sick Leave
On May 28, 2021, Governor Baker signed into law An Act Providing for Massachusetts COVID-19 Emergency Paid Sick Leave (the “Act”), which requires employers to provide up to forty (40) hours of Emergency Paid Sick Leave to employees with a primary place of employment in Massachusetts who are unable to
Massachusetts COVID-19 Emergency Paid Sick Leave: What Employers Need to Know
On May 28, 2021, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker signed into law “An Act providing for Massachusetts COVID-19 emergency paid sick leave.” The act requires eligible Massachusetts employers to provide emergency paid sick leave to employees who meet certain criteria, with reimbursement by the Commonwealth.
Massachusetts Employers Must Provide Up to 40 Hours of COVID-19 Emergency Paid Sick Leave
Massachusetts has established a statewide mandate for employers to temporarily provide employees up to 40 hours of COVID-19 Massachusetts emergency paid sick leave (MA EPSL) when they are unable to work due to specific qualifying reasons related to the pandemic.
Massachusetts Enacts Legislation Providing COVID-19 Emergency Paid Sick Leave to All Employees
On May 28, 2021, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker signed legislation providing every full-time employee up to 40 hours (pro-rated for part-time employees) of job-protected, emergency paid sick leave for certain COVID-19 reasons, including to obtain the COVID-19 vaccination or to recover from symptoms arising from the vaccination.
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