We saw reports yesterday that the New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) was dropping its regulation requiring employees to be paid “call-in pay” when they are called in to work or have a planned shift cancelled with less than a 14 day notice. The call-in pay requirement was originally written into draft regulations the…
Read More »The House Education & Labor Committee, having made a 180 degree turn under democratic Chairman Representative Bobby Scott (VA), held a public hearing this week on H.R.7, known as the Paycheck Fairness Act. With 240 cosponsors in the House (all 239 democrat members and 1 republican), the legislation would amend the Fair Labor Standards Act…
Read More »Earlier this week, the US Department of Labor (DOL) announced that it was altering the procedure by which H-2B Visa applications will be processed. The change results from the system crash that DOL experienced early in January when the flood of H-2B visa applications overwhelmed and crashed their system. Going forward, all applications filed on…
Read More »Speaking of Paid Family and Medical Leave, expect legislation to mandate it as a paid benefit to have a prominent place in the buildup to the 2020 presidential election. As we know, President Trump (as recently as the State of the Union address on February 5) has expressed his support for some kind of federal…
Read More »At the state level, paid leave continues to crop up in State Capitols with Maine being only the latest example. The legislature’s Committee on Labor and Housing entertained a bill at a public hearing on Monday that would mandate businesses with more than 5 employees provide 5 days of paid leave annually. Similar legislation has…
Read More »The ‘Queen of all Nanny States’ is at it again – and with a vengeance this time! California legislators are entertaining 5 pieces of legislation that seek to restrict sugary beverage consumption in a host of ways – from taxing them to labeling them to limiting the size of sugary drinks. Proponents of the beverage…
Read More »On the subject of increasing taxes, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont put himself front and center with submission of his FY2020 state budget. The spending plan, which Lamont rolled out last week, includes a new 1.5 cents per ounce tax on sugary beverages which he projected would raise over $163 million. Although a number of cities…
Read More »Since we last updated our readers on minimum wage increases just a few weeks ago, there has been still more movement in a number of states toward the $15 per hour level. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, who has been brandishing his progressive credentials by signing a host of liberal measures, signed a new $15…
Read More »A little over a week ago, North Carolina-based Duck Donuts announced it was expanding to Puerto Rico with the signing of a three-store development agreement with new Puerto Rican franchisees. The 65-unit brand specializes in made-to-order donuts. We also noted that Beijing-based coffee startup company Luckin Coffee, which opened 2,000 units last year and has…
Read More »The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a notice this week regarding changes to 16 CFR Part 436, Disclosure Requirements and Prohibition Concerning Franchising, more commonly referred to as the Franchise Rule. The notice advises that the FTC is seeking comment from the public on whether to make any changes to the Franchise Rule while the…
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