A decision rendered in late summer by the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit provides important guidance for employers considering limiting the availability of light duty assignments. In EEOC v Wal-Mart Stores, East LP Inc., the court ruled that a light duty policy covering only workers injured on the job was lawful…
Read More »Well, as we again flip the calendar, it’s important to note what laws may change on the first of any month. As we advised you in past issues, new provisions in the Connecticut equal pay act become effective today (on October 1, 2021) that prohibit pay differences between the sexes for comparable work (rather than…
Read More »Passed as part of the 2023 state budget, New Hampshire now has a paid sick leave program with the state paying the premium for state employees while private employers and employees may opt-in, at a price. Under the plan, which will pay benefits up to 60 percent of an employee’s wages for up to six…
Read More »Pregnant workers in Arizona will see their civil rights expanded on July 19, when new changes to the Arizona Civil Rights Act take effect. Back in February, Governor Doug Doucey signed House Bill 2045, amending the Arizona Civil Rights Act to mirror existing protections under the federal Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978, which amended Title…
Read More »Early this week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R.1065, also known as the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. By a vote of 315 – 101, the legislation was sent to the Senate, where it faces a tougher – albeit not impossible chance of being adopted and sent to the President for his signature. The legislation,…
Read More »The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation a few weeks ago that mandates businesses provide further accommodations for the convenience of pregnant employees. Although the Pregnancy Workers Fairness Act (H.R. 2694) has yet to pass the Senate and may never, in fact become law, it was passed by the House with overwhelming bipartisan support in…
Read More »Not too dissimilar from its New York counterpart, a similar requirement will also take effect next month in South Carolina, of all places. The South Carolina legislature passed the Pregnancy Accommodations Act earlier this year and it was signed into law by Governor Henry McMaster on May 17. The Act amends the South Carolina Human…
Read More »Effective Sunday, April 1, a new law in Massachusetts expressly prohibits discrimination against employees who are pregnant or experiencing pre- and/or post-birth pregnancy related medical needs. Known as the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, the law immediately requires employers to provide their employees with notice of the act in writing by April 1, 2018 – a…
Read More »Speaking of the need for caution and “reasonable accommodation’, the Massachusetts House of Representatives unanimously passed the so-called Pregnant Workers Fairness Act this week. The bill (H.3680) offers pregnant women reasonable accommodation such as, more frequent or longer paid or unpaid breaks, time off to recover from childbirth with or without pay, acquisition or modification…
Read More »Speaking of ADA and accommodations necessary to avoid discrimination, the law may have passed three years ago, but the New York City Human Rights Commission just recently issued an enforcement guidance on the New York City Pregnancy Workplace Fairness Act that provides the criteria to be considered in the context of trying to make a…
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