On July 27, 2017, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker signed the Massachusetts Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (the “PWFA”) into law. Massachusetts joined twenty-one states and Washington D.C. in providing protections to pregnant workers. The PWFA supplements Massachusetts employment discrimination law, by adding pregnant employees and employees with pregnancy-related medical conditions (including breastfeeding)
In a case of first impression, the Supreme Judicial Court held that an employee who is a “qualifying patient” under the Massachusetts’ 2012 medical marijuana law (“An Act for the humanitarian medical use of marijuana”) (the “medical marijuana law”) may pursue a claim for handicap discrimination under the state’s anti-discrimination
An employer has obligations when one of its employees requests an accommodation. In the broadest sense, an employer must grant reasonable accommodations to employees who have disabilities as defined by either federal or state law. Even with this obligation, however, employers can refuse to grant certain accommodations on the grounds that it would cause
In a groundbreaking decision, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals extended Title VII protections against sex discrimination to LGBT plaintiffs. Prior to this decision, the provision prohibiting discrimination based on sex was narrowly interpreted and did not extend to issues of sexual orientation. In a decision earlier this week the court expanded the provision of
On January 1, 2017, the minimum wage in Massachusetts will increase to $11.00 per hour. This increase will occur as a result of the minimum wage increase passed by the Massachusetts Legislature in July of 2014.Under the new law, all employees in Massachusetts must be paid a minimum of $11.00 per hour, including tipped employees.