Employment Law Information Network
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Posted: | Jackson Lewis Category: Minnesota - General
Minnesota employers should be prepared for significant changes in the leave law landscape in 2026. The statewide Paid Leave program rolls out in on Jan. 1, 2026 and Minneapolis and Saint Paul both recently amended their Earned Sick and Safe Time Laws. Our Minnesota colleagues
outline key compliance considerations and next
Posted: | Ogletree Deakins Category: Minnesota - Wage & Hour
On January 1, 2026, Minnesota’s Paid Leave law will take effect, providing qualified employees with up to twelve weeks of paid medical leave, twelve weeks of paid family leave, and employees who need both family and medical leave in a single benefit year may qualify for up to twenty weeks.
Posted: | Ogletree Deakins Category: Minnesota - Wage & Hour
The January 1, 2026, changes to Minnesota’s meal and rest break laws require employers to provide fifteen-minute breaks and a thirty-minute meal break depending on hours worked. However, the vague amendments left more questions than answers. The questions raised in our July 2025 article were submitted to the state, and
Posted: | Ogletree Deakins Category: Minnesota - Restrictive Covenants
The Minnesota Legislature’s ban on new noncompetition agreements in 2023 has caused the state’s employers to rely more heavily on other legal means to protect their businesses from unfair competition by departing employees. In particular, the ban has forced Minnesota businesses to focus more on nonsolicitation agreements, i.e., agreements that
Posted: | Littler Category: Minnesota - General
Minnesota, Iowa Modify Employer Drug Testing Requirements
Minnesota and Iowa have longstanding drug testing laws that place them among the more difficult states for employer compliance. This year, both states modified their laws in ways that require employers to reevaluate their current practices and consider changes.
Minnesota strengthens employment protections for
Posted: | Jackson Lewis Category: Minnesota - Wage & Hour
Takeaways: Minnesota’s Earned Sick and Safe Time law (ESST) saw a few significant amendments during the special legislative session. The main changes
Posted: | Ogletree Deakins Category: Minnesota - Wage & Hour
Starting January 1, 2026, Minnesota employers must allow expanded breaks to all employees in Minnesota. Currently, employers are only required to provide “sufficient time to eat a meal” every eight hours of work, and “adequate time from work” to use the nearest restroom every four hours. This will change to
Posted: | Jackson Lewis Category: Minnesota - Wage & Hour
The state’s Paid Family and Medical Leave Law survived the legislative session with minimal change and the Department of Employment and Economic Development published its final rules on 06.16.25.
Posted: | Ogletree Deakins Category: Minnesota - General
On June 14, 2026, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz signed into law legislation passed during a one-day legislative special session that includes new employment laws or amends existing employment laws. The legislation—Senate File (SF) 17 / House File (HF) 15—clarifies requirements for meal and rest breaks, modifies the powers of the
Posted: | Littler Category: Minnesota - Wage & Hour
Summer Heat Wave of Paid Leave Amendments Continues in Minnesota
On June 14, 2025, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz signed SF 17, the state’s omnibus jobs and workforce bill. The omnibus bill amends both the state’s paid sick leave law and the forthcoming paid family medical leave program (Minnesota Paid Leave) in
Posted: | Ogletree Deakins Category: Minnesota - General
On May 1, 2025, the Minneapolis City Council voted to expand civil rights protections, effective August 1, 2025. Under the updated ordinance (Ordinance No. 2025-022), it will be illegal for employers in Minneapolis to discriminate based on a person’s height, weight, criminal record or history (now referred to as “justice-impacted
Posted: | Ogletree Deakins Category: Minnesota - General
The Minnesota Department of Human Rights (MDHR) recently made updates to several documents and definitions for Minnesota government contractors. This is the third article in a series focused on the compliance responsibilities of Minnesota contractors holding workforce certificates that the MDHR issued. The first part in the series covered the
Posted: | Littler Category: Minnesota - Wage & Hour
New Minnesota Meal and Rest Break Requirements
On June 14, 2025, Minnesota’s governor signed an omnibus bill, SF 17, which includes amendments to the state’s meal and rest break requirements found at Minnesota Statute Sections 177.253 and 177.254.
tgelbman@littler.com Wed, 06/18/2025 – 10:05
Posted: | Ogletree Deakins Category: Minnesota - General
The Minnesota Department of Human Rights (MDHR) recently updated several documents on its website for Minnesota government contractors. This is the second article in a series focused on the compliance responsibilities of Minnesota contractors holding workforce certificates that the MDHR issued. The first part in the series covered the workforce
Posted: | Ogletree Deakins Category: Minnesota - General
In March 2025, the Minnesota Department of Human Rights (MDHR) updated its annual compliance report (ACR) without substantive changes. Two months later, the MDHR has issued a new two-part ACR with significant updates. The new ACR now includes two parts: “Part 1: Year in Review Narrative,” and “Part 2: Data