After the success of its initial funding round ($25.7 million distributed to 741 businesses), the state of Delaware opened up a second round of its popular DE Relief Grant program on October 1. The program, which is a joint initiative of the state and New Castle County, was funded through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and…
Read More »In a major rebuke of Governor Gretchen Whitmer, the Michigan Supreme Court ruled her executive orders extending the original declaration of a state of emergency violated the state constitution and was invalid. As backdrop, the Michigan legislature called a state of emergency back when the coronavirus pandemic first broke in March. That order expired however…
Read More »Winning exemption from Pennsylvania overtime requirements recently became that much more difficult when the Pennsylvania Department of Labor (PDOL) published its latest guidance. Effective October 3, 2020, the new guidance increases the minimum weekly salary threshold to be exempt under the Pennsylvania Minimum Wage Act (PMWA) white-collar exemption to $684 per week (the same as…
Read More »An important deadline arrives next week for those employers in Massachusetts covered by the state’s Paid Family Leave Law. The state’s new Department of Family and Medical Leave (DFML) requires that employers provide updated contact information on their company’s ‘leave administrator’ by next Wednesday, October 14. Payroll deductions to fund the benefit were to have…
Read More »As we get closer to the November 3 presidential election, employers must be aware of and complying with their responsibilities to allow their employees time to go to the polls and vote. In fact, some states and municipalities require that workers be given paid time off to exercise their civic duty. The state of New…
Read More »The Denver City Council this week unanimously approved a new 15% cap on the fees that third-party delivery companies may charge restaurants. In the Mile-High City, delivery fees during the coronavirus pandemic have reached as high as 30% at times, but at least until February 9, 2021, when the new ordinance is scheduled to sunset,…
Read More »The Golden Arches will be dishing out sweets soon in 2 different directions and for 2 very different reasons. For the first time in eight years, McDonalds said it is adding baked goods to its breakfast menu in the hope of strengthening its weak breakfast daypart. The company announced this week that it would begin…
Read More »According to Nicole Miller Regan of Piper Sandler, teen dollars that formerly went to Starbucks in a major way are now landing in the registers of Chick-fill-A and Dunkin’. In an interview this week with Kelly Evans on CNBC, Miller Regan spoke to the shift in teen spending and how Chick-fill-A knocked Starbucks out of…
Read More »Late yesterday, by a highly partisan vote of 214 – 207, House Democrats approved a revised, $2.2 trillion HEROES Act that included $120 billion in direct assistance to independent restaurants, food trucks and bars but specifically excluded franchises! This version is the first that includes the $120 billion proposed by the Independent Restaurant Coalition in…
Read More »For the first time since 2014, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has no vacancies to be filled on its 5-member Board. This week, the US Senate confirmed the remaining nominees – 2 republican members and 1 democratic nominee thereby putting the agency at full capacity. On Wednesday, the Senate confirmed the two republican nominees,…
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