New England Biz Law Update

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 ...

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 ...

A recent decision from the Massachusetts Appeals Court highlights how hard it is for an employee suing for constructive discharge to prove that they had no other option except for resigning. Constructive discharge occurs when an employee resigns because the ...

Employees would be protected from discrimination based on natural hair and hairstyles associated with race and national origin, under a measure that has been approved by the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill is called, “The Creating a Respectful and ...

Under an upcoming new overtime rule, the U.S. Department of Labor is expected to propose higher white-collar salary level thresholds, which means that more employees would become eligible for overtime pay under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Experts ...

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) have each released a technical assistance document discussing potential disability discrimination when employers use artificial intelligence (AI) and other software tools to make employment decisions. Employers are ...

Beginning in January of last year, Massachusetts employees became eligible for a new state-sponsored benefit that provides up to 26 weeks of job protected leave for medical and family reasons. Paid Family Medical Leave (PFML) is separate from the federal ...

Terminating an employee in Massachusetts? Have a check in hand. That’s the takeaway from a Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) ruling that recently awarded an employee triple damages for late payment of some accrued benefits. When Beth Reuter was terminated ...

Many employers rely on background checks when making important hiring decisions. In doing so, they need to comply with a patchwork of local, state, and federal laws. While federal law does not generally bar criminal background checks, state and local ...