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Senior Partner Dan Ratner was featured on the Power At Work Blogcast with Seth Harris. As Seth and Power at Work noted, “Dan Ratner has a long, storied career representing working people. He was an organizer with the SEIU and the UAW for 12 years before becoming a lawyer. His law career has spanned over…
Author Archives: Levy Ratner
Pregnant Workers Fairness Act Expands Protections for Pregnant Workers
On June 27, 2023, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) will go into effect, providing new protections for pregnant workers across the United States. The PWFA will require employers with 15 or more employees to provide reasonable accommodations to workers for known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions, unless it would cause…
Can New York Employers Ask About Your Salary History?
In October 2017, New York City made it illegal for private and public employers to ask about a job applicant’s salary history. Employers can’t ask about other benefits or compensation a job applicant received either and includes questions directly asked by the employer or the employer’s employees, like a human resources representative. Employers can speak…
Job Opportunities in Finance for Those with Criminal Records
On December 29, 2022, President Biden signed legislation, which includes the passage of the Fair Hiring in Banking Act. The Act expands job opportunities in banking and financial institutions for those with a previous criminal offense. The new law is in line with a growing number of jurisdictions across the country that have prohibited private…
NLRB Ends Broad Confidentiality in Severance Agreements
On February 21, 2023, the National Labor Relations Board decided in McLaren Macomb that Employers violate federal labor law if they offer severance agreements that include broad confidentiality clauses and/or non-disparagement clauses. Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act protects workers’ right to engage in “concerted activities for the purpose of collective bargaining or…
New York State Amends the State’s Pay Transparency Law
On March 3, 2023, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed amendments to the New York Pay and Transparency Law. The New York Pay and Transparency Law, which was originally signed into law in December 2022, requires employers to list salary ranges for all advertised jobs and promotions. The recent amendments make significant changes to both…
Pumping? Your Rights to Break Time and Private Space
On December 29, 2022, President Biden signed legislation, which includes the passage of the PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act (“PUMP Act”). PUMP stands for “Providing Urgent Maternal Protections,” and expands the rights of nursing employees to have time and a private space to pump breastmilk at work. The PUMP Act expands coverage to workers in…
Understanding FMLA: Taking Family Leave in Less Than a Full Day
On February 9, 2023, the Wage and Hour Division of the United States Department of Labor released an opinion letter clarifying that employees can take leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”) in increments, including increments that are less than a full workday. FMLA protects the right of eligible employees to take unpaid,…
What is the NJ Temporary Workers’ Bill of Rights?
On February 6, 2023, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed a new law, New Jersey Bill A1474, seeking to ensure basic protections and dignity for temporary workers. The “Temporary Workers’ Bill of Rights” will go into effect on August 5, 2023. The law seeks to ensure that the 127,000 temporary workers in New Jersey, who…
What Do the New Jersey WARN Act Amendments Mean?
On January 10, 2023, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed a law amending the New Jersey WARN Act, effective April 10, 2023. The amendments in question were initially approved in 2020 but their implementation was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing state of emergency. Lawmakers have decided that the ongoing state of…