Archive
NLRB Abandons Notice Posting Requirement
January 2, 2014 was the deadline for the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to file a petition with the U.S. Supreme Court to review the appellate court decisions. The NLRB chose not to file a petition, thus effectively abandoning the notice posting requirement. (Note that this does not impact the requirement under Executive Order 13496 that non-exempt federal contractors and subcontractors post a notice informing employees of their NLRA rights.) The NLRB’s website now notes: “Appellate courts have enjoined the NLRB’s rule requiring the posting of employee rights under the [NLRA]. However, employees are free to voluntarily post the notice.”
For more information on what this means for employers, please see the full Alert.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact a member of MBBP’s Employment Law Group.
Minimum Wage Increases in 13 States
By: Robert Shea
Employers in 13 states begin 2014 with higher minimum wage requirements. Now, 21 states have minimum wage rates exceeding the federal minimum wage rate of $7.25 per hour. Here in New England, as of January 1, 2014, Connecticut’s minimum wage rate is $8.70 (and will go to $9.00 on January 1, 2015), Rhode Island’s rate is $8.00, and Vermont’s rate is $8.73. Minimum wage rates in Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire remain at $7.50, $8.00, and $7.25, respectively. Also, note New York’s minimum wage rate will go from $8.00 to $8.75 on December 31, 2014 and to $9.00 on December 31, 2015.
Minimum wage increases are also being discussed in several other states, including Massachusetts. Proposed legislation in Massachusetts would increase the minimum wage rate from $8.00 to $11.00 over three years. The minimum wage is also a hot topic on Capitol Hill where Democrats are seeking a significant increase in the federal minimum wage rate, which has been at its current rate of $7.25 per hour since 2009.
For more information on this topic, please contact MBBP’s Employment Law Group.
Massachusetts Employment Law Blog 