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Top Five Employment Law Blog Posts from 2018

Check out our top five employment law blog posts of 2018 from our Massachusetts Employment & Business Litigation Resource: NLRB Issues Guidance on New Employer-Friendly Standard for Handbook Rules  In early June, the National Labor Relations Board (the “NLRB”) issued Guidance on Handbook Rules Post-Boeing regarding how regional offices should apply its new standard for analyzing […]

Check out our top five employment law blog posts of 2018 from our Massachusetts Employment & Business Litigation Resource:

  1. NLRB Issues Guidance on New Employer-Friendly Standard for Handbook Rules 

    In early June, the National Labor Relations Board (the “NLRB”) issued Guidance on Handbook Rules Post-Boeing regarding how regional offices should apply its new standard for analyzing employee handbook rules (the “Guidance”). The standard, announced in The Boeing Co., 365 NLRB No. 154 (Dec. 14, 2017), sets forth a balancing approach that is more friendly to employers. Continue reading »

  2. New Massachusetts Law Places Restrictions on Non-Compete Agreements 

    After many years, Massachusetts legislators have finally agreed upon non-compete reform. On August 10, 2018, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker signed into law a new bill that affects the applicability, scope, and influence of non-compete agreements between Massachusetts employers and employees. The new law, which becomes effective on October 1, 2018, follows years of unsuccessful legislative attempts at reforming Massachusetts non-compete law that to date has been governed by common law. Continue reading »

  3. Ban-the-Box Law Further Limited 

    Massachusetts recently enacted sweeping criminal justice reform. Included among the reformed laws is a further limitation on information an employer may seek from applicants regarding their criminal history. These changes become effective October 13, 2018 and enhance the protections for employees that became effective when Massachusetts amended its CORI (Criminal Offender Record Information) regulations on April 27, 2017. We provided a comparison of the old and new regulations in a prior post. Here we provide a discussion of the initial “Ban the Box” law and offer insights for employers regarding the law as it will exist once it becomes effective later this year. Continue reading »

  4. More Changes for Massachusetts Employers: Paid Family & Medical Leave and Minimum Wage Increases 

    Massachusetts has done it again. Yesterday, Charlie Baker signed into law An Act Relative to Minimum Wage, Paid Family Medical Leave and the Sales Tax Holiday. Deemed the “Grand Bargain,” the law keeps Massachusetts at the forefront of providing greater employee rights and protections for its residents. The law follows other significant legislative changes regarding employee leave and wages, including the Earned Sick Time law that became effective on July 1, 2015, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act that became effective on April 1, 2018, and the amendments to the Equal Pay Act that become effective on July 1st. Continue reading » 

  5. Preparing for the Massachusetts Pregnant Workers Fairness Act — Effective April 1, 2018 

    The Massachusetts Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (the “Act”) goes into effect on April 1, 2018, and has immediate implications for all Massachusetts employers who employ six or more employees. Broadly speaking, the Act amends the current statute prohibiting discrimination in employment, G.L. c. 151B, §4, and prohibits discrimination on the basis of pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions, such as lactation or the need to express breast milk for a nursing child. The Act also describes employers’ obligations to employees that are pregnant or lactating and the protections to which these employees are entitled. Continue reading »

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