On December 8, 2020, Pittsburgh’s City Council unanimously passed a Temporary COVID-19 Paid Sick Leave Ordinance, which Mayor Peduto signed on December 9, 2020. The Ordinance, which took effect immediately, requires employers with 50 or more total employees to provide up to 80 hours of paid “COVID-19 Sick Time”
Articles About Pennsylvania Labor And Employment Law.
COVID-19 Leave Arrives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
On December 9, 2020, Pittsburgh Mayor Peduto signed a new ordinance granting COVID-19 Sick Time to certain employees working within the City.
Interaction with Pittsburgh Paid Sick Days Act
This ordinance supplements the Pittsburgh Paid Sick Days Act (“PSDA”), which took effect earlier this year in March. The ordinance also
Does the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act Require Accommodation of Medical Marijuana Use? Not (For Now)
In Harrisburg Area Community College v. Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, No. 654 C.D. 2019, (October 29, 2020), the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania recently examined the interaction between Pennsylvania’s Medical Marijuana Act (MMA) and the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act (PHRA). Specifically, the court addressed whether the PHRA’s prohibition against disability discrimination
Pennsylvania Court Affirms Unemployment Benefits for Medical Marijuana User
A Pennsylvania Appeals Court affirmed an order granting unemployment benefits to a medical marijuana user who was terminated by his employer for a positive drug test. The Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Auth. v. Unemployment Comp. Bd. of Review, Case No. 228 C.D. 2020 (Commw. Ct. Pa. Nov. 18, 2020).
The
Pennsylvania Issues Stricter COVID-19 Mitigation Measures
Citing a resurgence of COVID-19 cases in Pennsylvania with significantly higher daily case counts than in the spring and rising hospitalizations, Commonwealth Secretary of Health Dr.
Pittsburgh and Allegheny County, Pennsylvania Pass CROWN Acts
In October 2020, both Allegheny County, Pennsylvania and the City of Pittsburgh passed Creating a Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural Hair (CROWN) Acts, which prohibit discrimination based on hairstyle and “protective and cultural hair textures and hairstyles” (i.e., those that are commonly associated with certain groups that are
Federal Court Finds Pennsylvania’s Medical Marijuana Act Contains Implied Private Right of Action
On September 25, 2020, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania became the first federal court in the Third Circuit to rule that Pennsylvania’s Medical Marijuana Act (MMA) allows an employee to bring a private lawsuit against his or her employer for taking an adverse employment action
Pennsylvania’s New Overtime Salary Thresholds Take Effect
The Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry’s (DLI) amendments to the regulations that exempt executive, administrative, and professional (so-called “white collar”) salaried workers from overtime requirements under the Pennsylvania Minimum Wage Act of 1968 (PMWA) went into effect on October 3, 2020. The amended regulations were originally approved on January
Philadelphia: Public Health Emergency Leave; Healthcare Worker Pandemic Pay, Benefits
Philadelphia workers who are not covered by federal sick leave laws, such as the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), are entitled to paid sick leave benefits under the new public health emergency leave bill (amending Chapter 9-4100 of the Philadelphia Code) signed by Mayor Jim Kenney. The new leave
Pennsylvania Expands Overtime Pay Beyond Federal Thresholds
This past weekend, Governor Tom Wolf’s new legislation went into effect, expanding Pennsylvania’s Minimum Wage Act (MWA) regulating overtime pay. The legislation increases the minimum salary an employee can earn and still be eligible for overtime.
Pennsylvania Rule Increasing White Collar Exemption Salary Threshold Takes Effect
The Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) published its final rule to substantially increase the salary threshold for qualifying as an exempt Executive, Administrative and Professional (EAP) employee under the Pennsylvania Minimum Wage Act (PMWA). The regulation increases the EAP salary threshold under Pennsylvania law to:
Pennsylvania’s New Salary Threshold for Overtime
October 5, 2020
On October 3, 2020, Pennsylvania’s new overtime rules went into effect that change the salary threshold of those eligible to receive overtime compensation in Pennsylvania. This is the first update to Pennsylvania’s overtime regulations in more than 40 years.
Federal Court Holds Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Act Provides Private Right of Action
A Pennsylvania federal court refused to dismiss an employee’s claim for violation of the Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Act (MMA), reasoning that the Pennsylvania Supreme Court is likely to recognize a private cause of action under the MMA. Hudnell v. Jefferson University Hospitals, Inc., Civil Action No. 20-01621 (E.D. Pa. Sept.
Philadelphia Expands Entitlement to Paid Sick Leave for Workers Not Covered by FFCRA
On September 17, 2020, six months after Mayor Jim Kenney issued Executive Order 3-20, a Declaration of Emergency Related to the Known and Potential Presence of the Novel Coronavirus COVID-19 in Philadelphia, he signed into law Bill No. 200303, a temporary amendment expanding the City of Philadelphia’s paid sick leave
Philadelphia Pandemic Laws Require Additional Paid Leave for Employees and Gig Workers, Other Pay and Benefits for Healthcare Workers
On September 17, 2020, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Mayor Phil Kenney signed File Number 200303, an amendment to the city’s generally applicable paid sick and safe time law, the Promoting Healthy Families and Workplaces Ordinance (PHFWO). The amendment requires new public health emergency leave (PHEL) for employees, gig workers, and others