On April 23, 2025, Donald Trump issued an Executive Order titled “Restoring Equality of Opportunity and Meritocracy,” (“EO”) which will likely significantly impact the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (“EEOC’s”) enforcement of disparate impact discrimination. Disparate impact discrimination occurs when a workplace policy or practice is neutral on its face but has a disproportionate
On February 21, 2025, the Michigan Earned Sick Time Act (ESTA) officially took effect, replacing the Paid Medical Leave Act (PMLA) and expanding sick time benefits for employees across the state. ESTA imposes new compliance requirements on Michigan employers and significantly broadens employee eligibility for paid sick leave. However, just before the law went into
California’s 2023-2024 legislative session just concluded, and California employers will want to be aware of the following new employment laws that take effect January 1, 2025, unless otherwise noted:
Social Compliance Audits. Effective January 1, 2025, AB 3234 adds sections 1250-1251 to the Labor Code and requires employers to post on their internet website
New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed the Retail Worker Safety Act (“RWSA”) into law earlier this month, extending workplace safety measures applicable to many retail employers statewide. The RWSA, which applies to any employer with 10 or more employees selling consumer goods (not including food to be consumed on premises), requires covered employers to develop
Passed late last year, the Freelance Isn’t Free Act (the “Act”) is expected to go into effect on August 28, 2024. The Act extends protections for freelance workers across New York State and mirrors protections in New York City’s Freelance Isn’t Free Law.
The Act defines a freelance worker as any person or single-person
As we previously reported, in April of this year, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) issued a final rule regarding non-compete agreements. The FTC’s rule operates as an almost complete ban on such agreements. Unless enjoined by a court, the rule is scheduled to take effect on September 4, 2024. Since April, several lawsuits have been
Last year, California enacted a law (SB 525) raising the minimum wage for many healthcare workers to as much as $25 per hour. The minimum wage hikes were scheduled to take effect June 1, 2024. However, California has a huge budget deficit, which makes compliance with the increased wages a challenge for the state. Because
On April 23, 2024, the federal Department of Labor (“DOL”) issued its final rule on the salary threshold for the executive, administrative, and professional exemptions under the Fair Labor Standards Act. The rule provides for increases in minimum salary required for these types of employees to qualify as exempt from overtime pay requirements under federal
On April 23, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) issued a final rule regarding non-compete agreements. The FTC’s rule operates as an almost complete ban on such agreements. Unless enjoined by a court, the rule will become effective 120 days after its publication in the federal register.
In short, the rule prohibits agreements that directly
Last fall, California enacted a new law (SB 553/Labor Code 6401.9) requiring almost all employers to implement a workplace violence prevention plan. Employers are required to have a plan in place by July 1, 2024. Cal/OSHA recently published guidance on the requirements as well as a model plan template that employers may use as a