With the November elections here, employers should take a moment to refresh their understanding on voting leave law in Massachusetts. Specifically, in Massachusetts, an employer must provide an employee up to two hours off after the opening of the polls in the employee’s town or ward to vote if the employee requests it.
New Domestic Violence Leave Law in Massachusetts
At the same time NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell faces tough questions about Ray Rice, a new domestic violence law went into effect in Massachusetts. Employers with 50 or more employees must now provide employees who are victims of domestic violence up to 15 days of leave in any 12-month period. Governor Deval Patrick signed the
When Domestic Violence Enters the Workplace
Headlines about Ray Rice and the NFL remind us all that domestic violence does not stop at the door of an employee’s home. It is a serious crime and one that has lasting impacts on those affected by it. This post
Coach, Inc. Added to List of Companies Sued For Misclassifying Unpaid Interns
Coach, Inc. is the latest company to be sued for alleged misclassification of employees as unpaid interns. I just wrote about the trend in these class action lawsuits for the Union Leader’s Know The Law. These cases are often high profile because they involve a large number of former and current interns seeking monetary
High Court Rejects NLRB Recess Appointments — Impact Remains To Be Seen
The US Supreme Court recently found President Obama lacked the authority to make 3 recess appointments to the National Labor Relations Board in January 2012. It held the appointments invalid because the Senate was not in a “recess” at the time but rather was holding pro forma sessions every three days for weeks in a
NH Legislature Restricts Employer Access to Employee’s Personal Social Media
The New Hampshire Legislature passed HB 1407 which will prohibit employers from obtaining an employee’s personal social media account user name and password. The bill passed both the House and the Senate. The governor is expected to sign it into law.
This bill applies to both employees and prospective employees for employment. Employers found to
NH Releases Employment Discrimination Data for 2013
The New Hampshire Commission for Human Rights has released data on discrimination charges filed by employees in 2013. Last year, the Commission received 222
discrimination charges against employers. This number was slightly down from the year before at 257. Retaliation across all categories topped the list at 93 claims. Following closly behind with 89
The Punt Return — Northwestern Appeals NLRB Decision Football Players Are Employees Who Can Unionize
Again in the spotlight, the National Labor Relations Board punted the ball down field in a ruling that stunned the college sports world. The NLRB Regional 
Director, Peter Sung Ohr, ruled last month that the Northwestern University scholarship football players were employees. As employees, the players may vote to unionize. The impact of this decision
NH DOL’s Top 10 Labor Law Violations from 2013
The start of a new year is always a good time for employers to review their HR policies. As part of this process, employers can conduct self-audits of their wage and hour 
practices to determine compliance with the law. The NH Department of Labor just recently posted the top ten most common labor law violations
NLRB Pro-Union Poster Not Revived On Appeal
The National Labor Relations Board did not appeal to the US Supreme Court two federal court decisions invalidating the NLRB’s Notice Posting Rule. The rule would have required many private employers to display a pro-union notice of employee rights in the workplace. This means most employers can now shelve the posters they printed in 2011.