Employer Articles
U.S. Department of Labor Releases Long-Awaited Overtime Rule Originally Published By: Troutman Sanders LLP on March 12, 2019 Last week, the United States Department of Labor (DOL) issued its long-awaited proposed change to the minimum salary threshold for the white-collar exemptions under the Fair Labor Standards Act. The new minimum salary threshold is $35,308/year (or $679/week). This new rule is not finalized nor in effect now. Rather, the new rule is open for a notice and comment period, with the DOL accepting public comments for 60 days after the rule is published in the Federal Register. The Department of Labor predicts that the new rule will likely become effective in January 2020.
Published in
Industry News
From the Desk of H.R. - New MA Law Updates Veterans Day Leave Entitlements
Posted by Human Resources Department
Changes to the Law on Leave for Veterans By Michael C. Birch of HRW October 24, 2018 On August 28, 2018, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker signed into law An Act Relative to Veterans Benefits, Rights, Appreciation, Validation and Enforcement (the “BRAVE Act”). The BRAVE Act goes into effect on November 7, 2018. Among other things, the law changes the requirements for employers to grant leave to veterans on Veterans Day and Memorial Day. THE OLD LAW The old law, which only went into effect in 2016, required employers to grant veterans time off on Veterans Day and Memorial Day to participate in an exercise, parade, or service in their community. The law also required employers with 50 or more employees to pay veterans for leave taken on Veterans Day.
Published in
Industry News
In August 2017, an Act Further Regulating Employer Contributions to Health Care was signed into law, temporarily changing the existing employer medical assistance contribution and creating a temporary supplemental contribution, among other things. The final regulations implementing the law were just released by the Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance (DUA), and could financially impact your organization.
Published in
Industry News
Lean about the Employer Medical Assistance Contribution (EMAC) Supplement
Posted by Human Resources Department
Learn about important changes to the EMAC law. These changes will go into effect beginning January 1, 2018.
Published in
Industry News
You have received an EMAC Supplement Liability Determination, what happens now? Mass.gov has provided the below materials on how you can begin the appeal process.
Published in
Industry News
EMAC FAQs
Posted by Payroll Department
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development Department of Unemployment Assistance has provided a list of frequently asked questions to help explain the new EMAC Supplement. Feel free to download the attachment below to read more, or view it at www.mass.gov.
Published in
Industry News
Minimum wage Date Standard Minimum Wage Tipped Minimum Wage January 1, 2019 $12.00 $4.35 January 1, 2020 $12.75 $4.95 January 1. 2021 $13.50 $5.55 January 1, 2022 $14.25 $6.15 January 1, 2023 $15.00 $6.75
Published in
Industry News
If you have a successful business, you’ll likely have great reviews from customers in person and online. But how is your company’s reputation affected when you receive a bad review?
Published in
Industry News
Massachusetts Legislature reaches 'grand bargain' on $15 minimum wage, sales tax holiday, paid leave
Posted by Human Resources Department
The Legislature has reached an agreement on a deal to raise the minimum wage to $15, institute paid family and medical leave and create a permanent sales tax holiday, in an attempt to keep multiple proposed ballot questions off the November 2018 ballot.
Published in
Industry News
There are more jobs than people out of work, something the American economy has never experienced before.
Published in
Industry News
More...
The May employment report was less notable for the size of any particular upside surprise than the consistency of its upside surprises and the good news throughout. The rise in employment across the establishment and household surveys was on roughly the same scale, wage growth ticked back up, and the 3-month average in payroll growth returned to about 180k – comfortably within its range since late 2016. Intriguingly, the progress on several areas of labor market slack suggested that the U.S. labor market is not at full employment after all.
Published in
Industry News
From the Desk of H.R. - Massachusetts Pay Equity Law in Effect July 1st
Posted by Human Resources Department
Employers in Massachusetts will need to remove rate of pay and salary questions from their job applications to comply with the new law.
Published in
Industry News
The Bureau of Labor Statistics released their Jobs Report for March 2018 on April 6th. Notable trends included a steady unemployment rate of 4.1%, as well as increased employment within the manufacturing, mining, and health care fields. Please feel free to download the attachment below to read the full report.
Published in
Industry News
This report is published eight times per year. Each Federal Reserve Bank gathers anecdotal information on current economic conditions in its District through reports from Bank and Branch directors and interviews with key business contacts, economists, market experts, and other sources
Published in
Industry News
