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Accessibility in construction projects is a legal requirement in Massachusetts. Both state and federal legislation ensures that any new buildings and facilities they provide, or modifications to existing buildings, are accessible to all, regardless of their physical...
Most employees in Massachusetts are employed on hourly wages. In Massachusetts, like most other states in the U.S., they will be employed under at-will employment conditions. The exceptions are employees who are on salaries and waged employees who have an employment...
Last year, the Massachusetts government made changes to its Paid Family and Medical Leave (PMFL) program. You should have been advised of these changes by your employer, but if you have not been made aware of changes to PFML or are confused about how you can make use...
Wage garnishment is the withholding of an amount of money from a debtor’s paycheck. The garnishing is done by the employer and the agreed amount is paid directly by the employer to the creditor who has been given the right to order the garnishment. There are limits to...
2024 is the second and final year of the current two year legislative session. Several bills that have either gone through their first readings or have yet to be heard are expected to be voted on later next year. Some, if not all of these bills, may eventually become...
Momentum is building in support of a 4 day working week pilot program in Massachusetts. If a bill that will be debated in the state legislature (Bill H.3849) is passed, a two year program called the Massachusetts Smart Work Week Pilot could lead to the first reduction...
A whistleblower is someone who reports incorrect, unethical or illegal activity in any private or public agency, organization or business. Whistleblowers take a risk that their activity may result in retaliation by the entity whose activity they are reporting. Both...
Waged employees must be paid a minimum hourly wage in every state in the U.S. Minimum wage requirements also include minimum rates for tipped employees and establish what employees should be paid if they work overtime. Minimum wage rates are set by both federal and...
Two new pieces of legislation have come into effect in Massachusetts since the start of the New Year. They may not be about laws that you have ever heard of, or even realized that you may have already had a vote on, but directly or indirectly they could affect you in...
The short answer to this important question is “No". However, the more detailed answer is more complex. Most employees in Massachusetts are employed in what is called “at-will” employment. This means that employers can sack an employee whenever they want for almost...
If you are planning to start a new business, it can be an exciting time. Being self-employed brings numerous advantages over having a regular job and an employer who dictates everything you do. Self-employment brings the possibility of earning as much money as your...
Why agree to mediation? Mediation can be used in all sorts of circumstances where there is a disagreement or dispute between two parties. Mediation is rarely used for criminal cases. Examples of circumstances where mediation can be of use include: disputes between...
Vaccine and mask mandates are gradually being wound down in many parts of the U.S. including here in Massachusetts, as an increased vaccination rate and the gradual reduction in the severity of the Omicron wave take hold. But who actually had the authority to issue...
What is a “seal?” Seals have been around for hundreds of years, but their purpose has changed a lot during that time. The term “under seal” for instance, has little in common with the main reason for using a physical seal in the past. But what actually is a seal? The...
Do employers in Massachusetts have the right to monitor your workspace activity? Yes, they do, as long as the activity they monitor has something to do with the business of the employer. The only exceptions are when specific privacy rights are included in an...
COVID-19 has probably and rightly been center stage the last 18 months as far as employers are concerned. Much of the initial worry revolved around whether it was possible to keep the business running and who in the workforce was going to get sick next. As...
The pandemic unfortunately hasn’t conveniently disappeared, even though in many parts of the U.S. life has returned to something resembling near normality. The principal reason why this improvement has happened, even if it hasn’t been perfect, is the availability of...
The United States has been just that since 1776 - a united confederation of states, each of which was created and developed along its own unique pathway. Most Americans are well aware that each state makes its own laws and when you cross from one state to another, you...
Gig workers operate out of the non-traditional work arrangements. They have temporary contracts with companies that hire them; as a result, their income varies on the number of gigs they get at any given time. These freelancers make up a considerable portion of the US...
Many businesses have been hit hard in Massachusetts since the start of the pandemic and smaller businesses in particular are teetering on the edge of filing for bankruptcy or have already fallen off the cliff. The much publicized 1.9 billion dollar coronavirus relief...