COVID 2.0 Obligations

No, it’s not another pandemic, but these changes will still cost small business owners. Both Colorado and Oregon have expanded leave obligations for employers in the event of a public health emergency (PHE), which now can include RSV, the flu and other respiratory illnesses. The Colorado Healthy Families and Workplaces Act requires employers to provide…

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CPI Pushes Minimum Wages Higher

One unanticipated repercussion of the ongoing 40-year high level of inflation is the impact it is having on automatic minimum wage rates in a number of states.  Most recently, three states announced that new minimum wage rates for 2023 will be higher than they had previously anticipated. With minimum wage rates tied to the Consumer…

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Novel Assistance to Restaurants

For a period of three months that began on July 1, restaurants, bars and other food establishments in the state of Colorado will benefit from a novel assistance program – a complete reprieve of state sales taxes through the end of September. The program, passed by the legislature as HB22-1406 and signed into law by…

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Notices Required

There are a couple of upcoming deadlines relating to employer obligations to post different notices of which we want you to be aware. The first is for a new law in Minnesota that we advised you of just about one month ago. The Minnesota Frontline Workers Payment Program requires employers in The Land of 10,000…

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12 States Now Require PFML

As expected, Delaware Governor John Carney signed the Healthy Delaware Families Act into law last week. The law creates the Delaware Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program, of which we advised you last month. The program will be funded by both employee and employer contributions and when fully operational, will provide up to 80% of…

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What’s Brewing: Starbucks Union, Labor shortage, Vaccine confusion, Reusable boxes

Every day, every week, every month seems to pose new challenges for Dunkin’ franchisees, thanks largely to the pandemic and economic turmoil of late. The latest challenge: increased union-organizing activity within the food-service industry. In this edition of “What’s Brewing,” we explain why Dunkin’ franchisees should be concerned, though not alarmed, about the unionization trend,…

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Helicopter Pilot Brews his Post-Military Career with Dunkin’

For Army veteran George Hart, a second career as a Dunkin’ franchisee began as a joke. “I’m from New Jersey originally, and I grew up on Dunkin’. To me, that’s what coffee tastes like, but when I was in the Army, I couldn’t get a good cup of coffee anywhere,” laughs Hart. “I would joke…

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Vacation Pay Protected

The Colorado Supreme Court a week ago placed an employee’s earned vacation time beyond the reach of the employer in the event that the employee is terminated. In the case of Nieto v. Clark’s Market, the state’s highest court overturned a lower court decision from 2019 and ruled that earned vacation time cannot be forfeited…

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Making a List and Checking It Twice

That lyric from a timeless Christmas classic shouldn’t only apply to Santa at this time of year, but also to every small businessman and woman across the country. Your list however, should be of what legal and regulatory changes will be taking effect on January 1, rather than who’s been naughty or nice! In that…

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