States Loosening Occupational Licensing Laws In an effort to boost their workforces, states are advancing legislation to loosen their occupational licensing laws. For example, the Louisiana House passed HB 933 , which would end licensure requirements for florists...
By many if not most people’s standards, Heidi Clayton was a clear victim of workplace harassment . A member of the Atlantic City Police Department, Clayton was asked out on dates by a lieutenant, who also commented on her physical appearance and read her...
WA House Passes Bill to Give Striking Workers Unemployment Benefits Washington’s House passed a bill ( HB 1893 ) that would allow striking workers to receive unemployment insurance benefits. Sen. Karen Keiser (D), chief sponsor of companion legislation...
We told you at the end of December that the nationwide healthcare workforce crisis would remain a top issue for state lawmakers in 2024 . And indeed it is, as evidenced by a spate of new bills addressing the issue pending in state capitols across the country...
It’s still only January, but you’d be forgiven if you had a little Groundhog Day -esq déjà vu after looking at the slate of artificial intelligence bills pending in state legislatures. Early into the new year, it’s clear legislators...
MA Lawmakers to Weigh Four-Day Work Week The Massachusetts House Labor and Workforce Development Committee scheduled a hearing last week on legislation ( HB 3849 ) that would provide tax credits to businesses that join a pilot program to test a four-day work...
For more than half a year, labor strife has swept the country. First, Hollywood writers went on strike in May. Then actors joined them in walking off the set a couple months later, in July. Detroit auto workers began a series of escalating strikes in mid-September...
Actors Reach Deal with Hollywood Studios The actors’ union, SAG-AFTRA, reached a tentative contract agreement with Hollywood studios last week. In July, actors joined the strike initiated by screenwriters in May over streaming-service pay and concerns about...
Workplace violence has drawn plenty of attention from state lawmakers this year, most notably in California, where a significant measure addressing the issue was enacted. But some HR experts worry such legislation could increase employers’ liability exposure...
Uber, Lyft Reach $328M Wage Theft Settlement with NY Uber and Lyft agreed to pay a combined $328 million to settle wage theft claims in New York. The state attorney general’s office said the ridesharing companies improperly deducted sales tax and contributions...
With inflation cooling , thousands of Californians got a double dose of good news in the last month with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s (D) signing of two high-profile bills raising the minimum wage of health care and fast-food workers. SB 525 , by Sen. Maria Elena...
TX Weighs COVID-19 Vaccine Ban In their 3rd special session of the year, Texas lawmakers are considering a bill ( SB 7 c ) that would bar private employers from requiring their workers to get vaccinated for COVID-19. Employers that take “adverse action”...
CA Gov Nixes Unemployment Benefits for Striking Workers California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) vetoed a bill ( SB 799 ) that would have allowed striking workers to receive unemployment benefits. The governor stated in his veto message that such an expansion of unemployment...
NC Budget Would Preempt Local Government Minimum Wage Rates The state budget ( HB 259 ) approved largely along party lines this month in North Carolina’s Republican-controlled legislature includes a provision that would prohibit local governments and municipalities...
TX Judge Strikes Down ‘Death Star’ Law A county judge in Texas declared the state’s new so-called “Death Star” law preempting local ordinances, including those mandating water breaks for construction workers, “entirely unconstitutional...