As we approach summer, we are approaching the first summer (2025) when Maryland's Heat Stress Standards will be in effect. Adopted in September 2024, the standards apply to all employers in the state. Maryland’s new Heat Stress Standards establish mandatory protections for employees exposed to high...
Practical Advice for Smaller Employers Recently, I have been working with a client who needs to conduct an interactive dialogue for Americans with Disabilities Act compliance. Even though we may hear about ADA compliance cases involving big companies, because the ADA applies to all employers...
Beginning October 1, 2024, Maryland's wage transparency law will take effect. Modeled off similar laws now in effect in other states, the Maryland law requires employers to disclose wage ranges and a general description of benefits in every public or internal job posting for positions...
On Tuesday, a Federal Judge in Texas issued a nationwide injunction preventing the enforcement of the Federal Trade Commission's Regulation that would have banned nearly all non-compete agreements or non-compete clauses in contracts in the United States. The regulation was set to take effect on...
One of our many functions at the Johnston Business Law Group is to prepare, review, and revise employee handbooks and other Human Resources policies. Aside from contract review, employment law matters take up the vast bulk of our time here. While employee handbooks are a...
On January 10, 2024, the U.S. Department of Labor issued its long-awaited Final Rule on independent contractor classification. The Final Rule is intended to clarify the circumstances in which a company can properly engage a worker as an independent contractor under the Fair Labor Standards...
Okay, I will admit, it has taken me a while to get caught up on recent Equal Employment Opportunity Commission activities. But back in September, the EEOC sued the Chesapeake Montessori Foundation, Inc., the operator of the Chesapeake Montessori School in Annapolis, MD. The EEOC...
Minimum Wage Increase Effective January 1, 2024, the state minimum wage will increase statewide to $15.00 per hour with a few exceptions. All employers in the state will be required to comply. However, like the federal minimum wage law, which operates as a floor, localities in...
Effective October 1, 2023, Maryland will expand the number of individuals who cannot be subject to a non-compete agreement with their employer. Large employers, defined as companies employing 15 or more employees, may not impose a non-compete agreement on any employee earning less than $19.88...