State and federal laws prohibit discriminating against pregnant women. However, too many employers ignore these laws  or find ways around compliance. Thus, additional legislative efforts are necessary to reinforce legal protections for pregnant workers and close gaps in the existing laws.
These are some of the goals of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA).
Creating a…

More and more employers are asking employees to sign arbitration agreements as a condition of employment.
Below, we explain the benefits and drawbacks of these agreements for both employers and employees.
What is arbitration?
Arbitration is a means of resolving legal disputes outside of court. Parties present their case to a neutral third party, called…

There are different categories of workers in the U.S., including regular employees, independent contractors, freelancers, and seasonal workers. Employers must classify their workers correctly, or there can be legal consequences.
Unfortunately, workers can ultimately pay the price for misclassification. Therefore, it is crucial to know how and why this happens.
How employers misclassify workers
One…

Too many New Yorkers face unsafe or illegal workplace conditions but fear retaliation if they report it. They worry about losing their jobs, being passed over for promotions, or getting bad references from their employers if they speak out.
Workers in this difficult situation now have more protection after Governor Kathy Hochul signed legislation expanding protections…

Several federal, state and local laws protect employees’ rights, but they can be complicated to understand and interpret.
For instance, New York has laws prohibiting wage theft. However, employers were able to violate the intent of the law through various loopholes. Now, new legislation has closed those loopholes.
The No Wage Theft Loophole Act
Recently,…

In a recent blog post, we discussed age-related discrimination in the workplace, and the subtle ways in which employers often discriminate against employees based on their age.
The New Jersey government is acknowledging the frequency and ramifications of age discrimination by expanding state laws to cover age-related discrimination.
Expanding protections in New Jersey Law Against…

Employers typically do not come out and state that they are discriminating against someone because of their age. That doesn’t mean discrimination based on age doesn’t occur, though. It just means that this type of discrimination is often subtle.
Even then, discrimination based on age is illegal, so it is crucial to keep an eye…