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Newsroom image for the post San Antonio Becomes Second City in Texas to Require Paid Sick Leave

Posted August 21, 2018 with Tags , , ,

San Antonio Becomes Second City in Texas to Require Paid Sick Leave

On August 16, 2018, San Antonio became the second city in Texas to pass a paid sick leave ordinance, which requires that employers provide one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked. While the ordinance takes effect on January 1, 2019, most of the requirements do not become effective until August 2019.

Posted July 27, 2018

California Employers On the Hook for Tracking Employee Time

On Thursday, July 26, the California Supreme Court held that California employers may no longer ignore or fail to compensate for small amounts of time that non-exempt employees work simply because recording that time is administratively difficult. This is an alarming departure from the de minimis defense employers have for federal wage-and-hour claims and warrants immediate attention by California employers.

Newsroom image for the post Massachusetts Reforms Employment Laws to Include Generous Paid Family Leave Program

Posted July 16, 2018 with Tags , , ,

Massachusetts Reforms Employment Laws to Include Generous Paid Family Leave Program

On June 28, 2018, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker signed a bill reforming several employment laws and creates one of the most employee-generous paid family and medical leave programs in the country. The program, which will be funded by a combination of payroll deductions and employer contributions, guarantees up to 26 weeks of paid leave for current and some former employees, and allows self-employed contractors to opt into the program.

Posted June 2, 2018

Nilan Johnson Lewis Named a Best Law Firm for Female Attorneys

Nilan Johnson Lewis (NJL) is proud to announce that it has again been named to Law 360’s “Best Law Firms for Female Attorneys” list, a ranking published as part of the news organization’s annual Glass Ceiling report. The firm placed No. 18 among all U.S. legal services firms employing at least 20 but fewer than 150 lawyers.

Newsroom image for the post Duluth Adopts Paid Sick and Safe Leave Beginning in 2020

Posted June 1, 2018 with Tags , , , , , ,

Duluth Adopts Paid Sick and Safe Leave Beginning in 2020

On May 30, 2018, the Duluth City Council passed an ordinance requiring private employers to provide paid sick and safe leave to employees, following other Minnesota cities like Minneapolis and St. Paul. The ordinance takes effect on January 1, 2020. Because this is a contentious issue, we expect to see additional amendments before the ordinance takes effect.

Posted May 22, 2018

Supreme Court Gifts Employers with Big Arbitration Win

On May 21, 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down a huge win to employers in its much-anticipated decision in Epic Systems Corp. v. Lewis. Writing for a five-person majority, Justice Gorsuch upheld the validity of agreements that require employees to arbitrate claims against their employer or an individual—as opposed to a class or collective—basis. The court had been called to determine whether such class/collective waivers violate an employee’s right to engage in “concerted activities” as provided in the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). Federal courts had been at odds on this issue, and the Supreme Court consolidated three cases to resolve the disagreement.

Newsroom image for the post DOJ Signals There Are Lawful “No-Poaching” Agreements

Posted April 16, 2018 with Tags ,

DOJ Signals There Are Lawful “No-Poaching” Agreements

In January 2018, the Department of Justice (DOJ) communicated that it would ramp-up criminal enforcement actions against companies that have no-poaching agreements, which in past years have been seen by the DOJ as a hall-pass allowing employers to avoid competing for workers, stifle demand in a market, and keep wages lower. A recent settlement with three employers, however, has reinforced the notion that not all no-poaching agreements are the same and helped define which kinds of no-poaching agreements may or may not lead to civil or criminal liability.

Posted April 4, 2018 with Tags

What Makes Minnesota Tip-Pooling Laws Unique

Joel O'Malley's article, "What makes Minnesota tip-pooling laws unique*," was published on Minnesota Lawyer. In the article, Joel outlines the complex laws leading to the large settlement Surly Brewing Co. recently paid in the tip-pooling lawsuit.

Posted March 8, 2018

DOL Creates Voluntary Program for Employers to Proactively Resolve Wage Issues

On March 6, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced a new pilot program for federal wage-and-hour compliance. The Paid Audit Independent Determination (PAID) Program offers employers the opportunity to self-audit their pay practices, resolve any violations, and obtain releases from those claims from employees.

Posted February 16, 2018 with Tags , ,

What Employers Need to Know About the Austin, TX Paid Sick & Safe Leave Ordinance

In the early hours of February 16, 2018, Austin, Texas, became the first Southern city to pass a paid sick and safe leave law. The final version is slated to go into effect on October 1, 2018, for most employers, although employers with five or fewer employees have a reprieve with an October 1, 2020, effective date. Opponents are already discussing potential preemption legislation, and so it remains to be seen whether the ordinance will go into effect or for how long.

Posted February 13, 2018

If Your Car is the Driver, Who is Liable?

On January 22, a lawsuit was filed in in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in which the plaintiff accused General Motors of negligence stemming from an accident where a vehicle deploying self-driving technology collided with …

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