Starting in May 2024, employers who engage freelancers in New York State will need to comply with recently enacted amendments to the State’s Labor Law. Those amendments, embodied in the “Freelance Isn’t Free Act” (the “Act”; § 191-d of the Labor Law), impose new hiring requirements and offer additional protections...
The role that politics should or should not play in the workplace has long been debated, and we are currently seeing a renewed focus on appropriate norms in light of the Israel-Hamas war and Americans’ impassioned feelings on the topic. Many employers find themselves caught in the middle, with employees...
This past Wednesday night, November 8, RPJ Attorneys Alice Jump, Deena Merlen, Ethan Krasnoo and Helen D. (Heidi) Reavis weighed in on “Questions You Don’t Want to Ask Out Loud—Employment Law,” the inaugural Panel sponsored by Equity in Lighting. The Panel provided RPJ the opportunity to answer anonymous employment and...
On October 27, 2023, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) published its Final Rule addressing the “Standard for Determining Joint-Employer Status” under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). The new rule, slated to take effect on December 26, 2023, significantly expands the circumstances under which separate businesses can be considered...
According to a report from the National Employment Law Project, wage theft in New York accounts for almost $1 billion in lost wages owed to New Yorkers every year. In an effort to curb this, New York enacted the Wage Theft Accountability Act (“WTAA”) on September 6, 2023, which took...
As of this past Saturday, the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists' (SAG-AFTRA) strike has officially eclipsed the 100-day mark, making this strike the longest in SAG-AFTRA’s history. SAG and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) are now back at the table after the...
The Fairfield Co. Bar Association Diversity Committee, which is co-chaired by RPJ Partner Deena R. Merlen, had its inaugural event last month when former State Representatives Joseph Grabarz Jr. and Hon. Douglas Mintz (Ret.) (pictured above with Ms. Merlen and her co-chair, Jaime Dursht) led a fascinating discussion on Diversity...
By Gregory Feit Our firm previously reported on the passage of the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act of 2021 (EFAA) (codified at 9 U.S.C. §§ 401-02), which amended the Federal Arbitration Act. Broadly speaking, the EFAA prohibits the compulsory enforcement of pre-dispute arbitration agreements with...
By Jill Kahn Marshall and Anna Beckelman On the heels of what has been deemed by some “hot labor summer,” due to high profile strikes and union activity, the New York State Legislature has enacted a law to protect workers’ organizing efforts. Signed by Governor Kathy Hochul on September 6,...
By Deena Merlen and Cleopatra Elrashidy While many forms of discrimination are outlawed in the United States, there are quite a few forms of discrimination that are not expressly covered by discrimination laws and policies. One such form of discrimination is caste-based discrimination. The caste system, which regulates people’s social...