Employment Law Observer

In the spirit of the season, we are using our annual "12 Days of California Labor and Employment" blog series to address new California laws and their impact on employers. On the eighth day of the holidays, my labor and employment attorney gave to me eight maids a-milking and SB 2299.

On September 30, 2024, Chief Judge Laura Swain of the Southern District of New York, issued a ruling that a standalone website is not a place of public accommodation under Title III of the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA).

In the spirit of the season, we are using our annual "12 Days of California Labor and Employment" blog series to address new California laws and their impact on employers. On the seventh day of the holidays, my labor and employment attorney gave to me seven swans a-swimming and SB 399.

In the spirit of the season, we are using our annual "12 Days of California Labor and Employment" blog series to address new California laws and their impact on employers. On the sixth day of the holidays, my labor and employment attorney gave to me six geese a-laying and AB 2975, AB 1976, and SB 1350.

In the spirit of the season, we are using our annual "12 Days of California Labor and Employment" blog series to address new California laws and their impact on employers. On the fifth day of the holidays, my labor and employment attorney gave to me five golden rings and SB 988.

In the spirit of the season, we are using our annual "12 Days of California Labor and Employment" blog series to address new California laws and their impact on employers.  On the fourth day of the holidays, my labor and employment attorney gave to me four calling birds and SB 1340.

In the spirit of the season, we are using our annual "12 Days of California Labor and Employment" blog series to address new California laws and their impact on employers. On the third day of the holidays, my labor and employment attorney gave to me three French hens, AB 1815, and SB 1137. 

In the spirit of the season, we are using our annual "12 Days of California Labor and Employment" blog series to address new California laws and their impact on employers. On the second day of the holidays, my labor and employment attorney gave to me two turtle doves and SB 1100.

The end of one thing is always the beginning of another. That also rings true for years end and new employment laws. It is time, once again, for all California employers to sit down, buckle up, and get ready for the 2025 employment law updates and changes.

On November 15, 2024, a federal district court in Texas struck down the U.S. Department of Labor ("DOL") Final Rule that would have made over four million additional workers eligible for overtime pay. The Final Rule significantly increased the salary threshold for white-collar workers to be exempt from overtime under the Fair Labor Standards Act ("FLSA").

The General Counsel of the National Labor Relations Board ("NLRB") issued Memorandum GC 25-01 on October 7, 2024, which establishes her intent to "urge the Board not only to find certain non-compete provisions unlawful, but also, as fully as possible to remedy the harmful effects on employees when employers use and apply them."

On September 4, 2024, Governor Kathy Hochul signed the Retail Worker Safety Act  (the "Act") into law. The Act, which takes effect on March 3, 2025, requires retail employers to develop and implement programs to prevent workplace violence. It also requires retail employers with 500 or more retail employees nationwide to install panic buttons by January 1, 2027.

On May 11, 2024, a new law went into effect, amending New York City Administrative Code §§ 8-109 and 8-502. The law prohibits provisions in agreements that shorten the timeframe an employee has to file a claim for unlawful discriminatory practices, harassment, or violence under the New York City Human Rights Law ("NYCHRL"). 

On April 20, 2024, New York legislators approved the New York State 2024-2025 Budget. The Budget included three amendments to New York Labor Law affecting all New York employers.

On March 1, 2024, the Second Circuit affirmed the judgment of the Southern District of New York in Brian La Belle v. Barclays Capital Inc, No. 23-448 (2d Cir. 2024).

On April 15, 2024, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) published a Final Rule to implement regulations aimed at enforcing the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA).

Starting July 1, 2024, New York City employers will be required to distribute a Workers' Bill of Rights to all their current employees and new hires on or before their first day of work.

Governor Kathy Hochul signed a bill into law, effective on November 11, 2023, amending Section 590 of the New York Labor Law.

In the spirit of the season, we are using our annual "12 days of the holidays" blog series to address new California laws and their impact on California employers. On the twelfth and final day of our holiday series, my labor and employment attorney gave to me twelve drummers drumming and SB 553.

In the spirit of the season, we are using our annual "12 days of the holidays" blog series to address new California laws and their impact on California employers. On the eleventh day of the holidays, my labor and employment attorney gave to me eleven pipers piping and SB 476.