Missouri legislators were silent on employment and labor law in 2019, neither presenting nor enacting any legislation in the area. The Missouri Supreme Court, on the other hand, actively handed down rulings in labor and employment.

New York Partner Alecia Walters-Hinds obtained a very favorable verdict after a two-week damages-only trial in Queens Supreme, limiting a potential multimillion-dollar verdict to a jury award of less than $150,000.

In October we reported on California’s passage of AB 51, a law which prohibits mandatory arbitration agreements for nearly all types of employment law claims.

Action on per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) substances continued until the last days of 2019 and shows no chance of slowing in 2020. Congress vigorously debated federal regulation of PFAS compounds throughout 2019 and at year’s end agreed on a major PFAS-related compromise in must-pass defense legislation.

As employers are aware, the FLSA requires the payment of a minimum wage for all hours worked and overtime for hours worked in excess of 40 hours per week. Pursuant to the FLSA, employers may utilize the fluctuating workweek method to calculate overtime compensation when a non-exempt employee receives a fixed weekly salary but works hours that varies from week to week.

A review of the most important labor and employment law updates of the past year from Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin.

As we all get ready to relax and spend time with our family and friends to celebrate the holidays and the coming of a new year, it is a good time to look back at the changes in Washington law that have occurred over the past year, and the changing landscape that Washington employers will face in the next decade. 

Beginning in 2020, two new California statutes, signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom earlier this year, will increase the cost and burden of discovery on litigants and their attorneys, particularly business entity defendants.