New England Biz Law Update

A habit of discriminatory language could help an employee’s claim of a hostile work environment when generalized harassment is coupled with more specific ties to an employee’s protected class, a Massachusetts trial court judge has decided. In the case of ...

In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court decision reversing Roe v. Wade, some major U.S. employers have announced new abortion-related benefits, including covering costs for employees who need to travel out of state to obtain abortion care. Amazon, one ...

The U.S. Supreme Court recently issued a decision that affects arbitration of employment disputes, delivering a rare win against employers and setting aside a precedent from the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. In May 2022, the Court ruled in ...

The Federal Trade Commission is considering new regulations to restrict companies’ use of noncompete clauses. Last year, President Joe Biden asked the FTC to consider limiting these clauses. But the U.S. Chamber of Commerce contends that the FTC doesn’t have ...

A ballot initiative strongly supported by ridesharing and restaurant delivery services to secure their workers’ status as independent contractors will not move forward, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has ruled. Uber Technologies Inc., Lyft Inc., and DoorDash Inc. advocated for the proposed ballot initiatives ...

The National Labor Relations Board has modified the timing of its electronic notice-posting requirement when an employer has not yet reopened its facility due to COVID-19, or a substantial number of employees have not yet returned to work on site, ...

OSHA has announced that COVID-19 enforcement is the agency’s top priority for 2022. The program will involve inspection of “high hazard” employers and further inspection of health care employers that have received COVID-19 complaints in the past. To open an ...

It would be more affordable for many spouses and dependents who are currently covered under employer-sponsored family health insurance plans or currently uninsured to buy coverage through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace, under a proposed rule issued by the ...

Two independent studies have found that the EEOC’s mediation program — including the transition from in-person to online mediation as a result of the pandemic — has been successful. Study participants said that they view the EEOC’s voluntary mediation program ...

A recent Gallup poll found that union approval is at the highest rate it has been since 1965, with 68% of Americans saying they approve of labor unions. From October 2021 through March 2022, the National Labor Relations Board reported ...