The 12 Days of California Labor and Employment Series – Day 3 "Healthcare Workers and a New Minimum Wage Structure"

In the spirit of the season, we are using our annual "12 Days of California Labor and Employment" blog series to address new California laws and their impact on California employers. On the third day of the holidays, my labor and employment attorney gave to me three french hens and SB 525.

While the minimum wage may differ depending on the city in which you live, the current minimum wage is generally $15/hour. When the pandemic was ongoing, the importance of healthcare workers soared, and the realization of how much healthcare workers were needed and the shortage of healthcare workers hit an all-time high.  

To no surprise, specific cities attempted to increase healthcare workers' wages to assist during the pandemic. While some of those laws passed, others did not. This paved the way for SB 525, which creates a different minimum wage schedule, specifically a higher minimum wage schedule, for various categories of covered healthcare employees. More ›

The 12 Days of California Labor and Employment Series – Day 2 "Reproductive Leave for California"

In the spirit of the season, we are using our annual "12 Days of California Labor and Employment" blog series to address new California laws and their impact on California employers. On the second day of the holidays, my labor and employment attorney gave to me two turtle doves and SB 848.

As of January 1, 2024, California will become only the second state, after Illinois, to provide reproductive loss leave under SB 848. This new leave requires employers with five or more employees to provide five days of unpaid leave when an employee sustains a reproductive loss. More ›

The 12 Days of California Labor and Employment Series – Day 1 "Expansion of Paid Sick Leave"

The end of something is always the beginning of something else. That always rings true for years end and new employment laws. It is time, once again, for all employers to sit down, buckle up, and get ready for the 2024 employment law updates and changes.

For the first year in many, COVID has dropped off the radar regarding new or changing employment laws. Workplace violence, arbitration, and cannabis are on the 2024 radar.

Before we pop the champagne and say goodbye to 2023, it is time to reprise our annual review of key California labor and employment law developments. In the spirit of the season, we are using our "12 Days of California Labor and Employment" blog series to address new California laws and their impact on employers. So, on the first day of the holidays, my labor and employment attorney gave to me a partridge in a pear tree and SB 616. More ›

New York City Amends Safe and Sick Time Regulations

On September 15, 2023, the New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection issued amended rules relating to the New York City Earned Safe and Sick Time Act (“ESSTA”). The amendments codified the New York City Council statutory amendments to the ESSTA in 2020, which was designed to align the ESSTA with the New York State Paid Sick Leave Law. The amended rules went into effect on October 15, 2023. More ›

Hinshaw Insights for Employers Alert: Chicago Adopts Significant New Paid Leave Requirements

Chicago employers are facing significant new mandatory paid leave requirements following action by the Chicago City Council late last week. The new ordinance requires both paid leave and paid sick leave accruals, effectively doubling the minimum number of paid leave days from five to ten days annually. 

On our main website, read our Q&A to get all your employer compliance questions answered about the new ordinance.

New York Limits Employee Invention Assignment Provisions

Governor Kathy Hochul signed a bill into law last month that amended the New York State Labor Law by adding a new section (203-f). The law prohibits any clause in an employment agreement that requires employees to assign their inventions to their employer if the employee created them on their own time and without using the employer’s resources or trade secrets. More ›

New York Prohibits Employers From Requiring Access To Employee's Social Media Account Information

New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed a bill into law last month that amended New York State Labor Law, prohibiting employers from requesting or requiring employees and job applicants to disclose their social media account information. The law also prohibits employers from retaliating against employees or job applicants who refuse to disclose their social media account information.  More ›

Governor Hochul Signs a Series of Bills Amending New York Labor and Employment Law

New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed a bill last month that amended the New York State's Human Rights Law to state that interns are protected from unlawful discrimination based on gender identity or expression. Since 2014, the New York State Human Rights Law has protected interns from unlawful discrimination based on their protected class status. In 2019, gender identity or expression was added as a protected class throughout the Human Rights Law, except in the intern provision. The newly enacted law appears purposed to correct an unintended oversight and to underscore that gender identity or expression is a protected class for interns. More ›

OSHA Announces Proposed Rule Change Expanding Authorized Employee Representation During Workplace Inspection to Include Union Officials and Other Non-Employees

On August 30, 2023, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to amend its regulations regarding who employees may authorize to act as their representative and accompany the Compliance Safety and Health Officer (CSHO) during physical workplace inspections. Under the NPRM, the employees may designate an employee of the employer or a non-employee third party whose relevant experience with particular hazards or conditions or language skills are deemed reasonably necessary to conduct an effective and thorough inspection by the CSHO. Specifically, the NPRM clarifies that these non-employees may include interpreters, officials with advocacy groups or local safety counsels, and union representatives. More ›

DOL Proposes Increases in Exempt Employee Salary and Annual Compensation Requirements

On August 30, 2023, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to update and revise the salary requirements under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) for exemptions from minimum wage and overtime pay requirements for employees subject to the executive, administrative, or professional exemptions, otherwise known as the "white collar" exemptions. This change would also affect computer employees classified as exempt and who receive a salary. More ›