Insights Archive - Ogletree Deakins

New Requirements and Looming Deadlines in October 2019: What New York Employers Need to Know

As we previously reported this past summer, the New York State Senate and Assembly passed Senate Bill 6549, which amended Section 194 of the New York Labor Law to prohibit wage differentials based on any protected class. As we also reported, the State Senate and Assembly also passed an omnibus bill that overhauled New York’s antidiscrimination laws. Governor Andrew Cuomo signed these bills into law on July 10 and August 12, 2019, respectively. As a result, several new laws are slated to take effect in October 2019.

Simone R.D. Francis St. Thomas
New York City Author

New York’s New Employment Discrimination Laws Are Here

As we previously reported, the New York State Senate and Assembly passed an omnibus bill that overhauls New York’s antidiscrimination laws and uproot precedent upon which employers have relied for decades in defending harassment claims.

Simone R.D. Francis St. Thomas
New York City Author

Shabri Baliga New York City Author

Aaron Warshaw New York City Author

New York Enacts Tougher Laws on Pay Equity and Salary History Inquiries

As we previously reported, the New York State Senate and Assembly recently passed Senate Bill 5248A and Senate Bill 6549. Governor Andrew Cuomo signed both bills, and both became law on July 10, 2019.

Simone R.D. Francis St. Thomas
New York City Author

Shabri Baliga New York City Author

New York Poised to Enact Tougher Laws on Pay Equity and Salary History Inquiries

Continuing the trend of substantial and expansive legislative changes in employment law, the New York State Senate and Assembly have passed Senate Bill 5248A and Senate Bill 6549. The first bill, S5248A, will prohibit wage differentials based on any protected class and will take effect 90 days after being signed by Governor Andrew Cuomo. The second, S6549, will prohibit private sector employers from asking for wage or salary history as a requirement for a job interview, job application, job offer, or promotion and will take effect 180 days after being signed by Governor Cuomo. The governor is expected to sign the bills into law.

Simone R.D. Francis St. Thomas
New York City Author

Shabri Baliga New York City Author

Substantial Changes Coming to New York Employment Discrimination Laws

On the last day of the 2019–2020 legislative session, the New York State Senate and Assembly passed an omnibus bill. This legislation, once effective, will overhaul New York’s antidiscrimination laws and uproot precedent that employers have relied upon for decades in defending harassment claims.

Simone R.D. Francis St. Thomas
New York City Author

Shabri Baliga New York City Author

Aaron Warshaw New York City Author

5 Takeaways From New York City’s Legislation on Lactation Room Accommodations

The New York City Council recently passed two bills addressing lactation rooms for breastfeeding mothers

Jinkal Pujara New York City Author

Simone R.D. Francis St. Thomas
New York City Author

Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA) Takes Effect in New York

On February 24, 2019, the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA) became effective in the state of New York. GENDA bars discrimination, harassment, and retaliation on the basis of “gender identity or expression,” which is defined as “a person’s actual or perceived gender-related identity, appearance, behavior, expression, or other gender-related characteristic regardless of the sex assigned to that person at birth, including, but not limited to, the status of being transgender.”

Simone R.D. Francis St. Thomas
New York City Author

New Year, New Laws: Further Guidance on Complying With New York’s Anti–Sexual Harassment Laws

New York State and New York City passed sweeping laws aimed at combating sexual harassment in the workplace last year. While many requirements of these laws already went into effect in 2018, the annual anti–sexual harassment training requirement under the Stop Sexual Harassment in New York City Act goes into effect on April 1, 2019.

Aaron Warshaw New York City Author

Simone R.D. Francis St. Thomas
New York City Author

Shabri Baliga New York City Author

The U.S. Virgin Islands Joins the Ban the Box Movement

On November 10, 2018, the U.S. Virgin Islands joined the “ban-the-box” movement by enacting legislation regulating employers’ use of the criminal records of applicants and employees.

Simone R.D. Francis St. Thomas
New York City Author

Adam G. Christian St. Thomas Author

Virgin Islands Supreme Court Confirms Applicability of FAA and Issues Guidance on Arbitration Agreements

In Whyte v. Bockino, No. 2017-0024 (August 29, 2018), the Supreme Court of the United States Virgin Islands held that the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) applies to contracts in the Virgin Islands and concluded that the claims of a former employee were arbitrable.

Simone R.D. Francis St. Thomas
New York City Author

Sofia L. Mitchell St. Thomas Author

Reexamining Reasonableness: What Employers Should Know About the Third Circuit’s Take on the Faragher-Ellerth Defense

The Third Circuit Court of Appeals recently issued an opinion in Minarsky v. Susquehanna County, No. 17-2646 (July 3, 2018). The decision, which vacated the entry of summary judgment in favor of an employer that had asserted the Faragher-Ellerth defense to a sexual harassment claim based upon a hostile work environment, provides some important lessons for employers.

Simone R.D. Francis St. Thomas
New York City Author

Readying Your Workplace for the Summer and Start of Hurricane Season: Rising Minimum Wage and Other Considerations for Employers in the U.S. Virgin Islands

With just weeks left before the start of summer, employers in the U.S. Virgin Islands may wish to ensure that they are in compliance with applicable laws governing wage payments. Effective June 1, 2018, the Virgin Islands minimum wage will increase from $9.50 per hour to $10.50 per hour.

Simone R.D. Francis St. Thomas
New York City Author

Westchester County, New York, Joins Albany County and New York City in Prohibiting Salary History Inquiries

On April 10, 2018, Westchester Country Executive George Latimer signed into law the Wage History Anti-Discrimination Law, which was adopted by a unanimous vote of the Westchester County Board of Legislators a day earlier. The new law will take effect 90 days following its adoption.

Simone R.D. Francis St. Thomas
New York City Author

Aaron Warshaw New York City Author

Eleventh Circuit Reinstates Former Manager’s Equal Pay Act and Title VII Sex Discrimination Lawsuit

In Bowen v. Manheim Remarketing, Inc., No. 16-17237 (February 21, 2018), the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated the Equal Pay Act and Title VII sex discrimination claims of a former manager of a car auction facility who alleged that she had been paid less than the male manager whom she replaced.

Simone R.D. Francis St. Thomas
New York City Author

Fourth Circuit Revives Equal Pay Act Claim, Imposes Tougher Summary Judgment Standard

In U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Maryland Insurance Administration, No. 16-2408 (January 5, 2018), the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals addressed the application of the summary judgment standard to a claim brought under the Equal Pay Act of 1963 (EPA).

Simone R.D. Francis St. Thomas
New York City Author

Ninety Seconds Is Not Enough: Third Circuit Rules That Break Policy Violates the FLSA

In Secretary United States Department of Labor v. American Future Systems, Inc., No. 16-2685 (October 13, 2017), the Third Circuit Court of Appeals considered whether an employer’s failure to compensate employees for periods of 20 minutes or less time when they were relieved of all work-related duties violated the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

Simone R.D. Francis St. Thomas
New York City Author

The FLSA and Your CBA: 3rd Circuit Finds Claims Were Not Subject to Dispute Resolution Provisions

In Jones v. SCO Silver Care Operations LLC, No. 16-1101 (May 18, 2017), the Third Circuit Court of Appeals addressed whether several certified nursing assistant plaintiffs were entitled to pursue their claims for violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) in court or were required to submit the claims to an arbitrator in accordance with the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between their union and their employer.

Simone R.D. Francis St. Thomas
New York City Author

Third Circuit Substitutes “Likely Reason” for “But For” at Summary Judgment Stage of Retaliation Case

In Carvalho-Grevious v. Delaware State University, No. 15-3521 (March 21, 2017), the Third Circuit Court of Appeals addressed an important evidentiary question: What evidence must a plaintiff adduce as part of a prima facie case of retaliation to survive a motion for summary judgment? The court held that a plaintiff alleging retaliation has a lesser burden at this stage, namely to produce sufficient evidence to raise the inference that the protected activity was the “likely reason” for the adverse employment decision.

Simone R.D. Francis St. Thomas
New York City Author

Third Circuit Finds Title IX Provides a Remedy for Sex Discrimination in Fully Funded Educational Institutions

The Third Circuit Court of Appeals has again created a circuit split by disagreeing with decisions from the Fifth and Seventh Circuit Courts of Appeals, which have held that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 provides the exclusive remedy for employees alleging discrimination on the basis of sex in federally funded educational institutions.

Simone R.D. Francis St. Thomas
New York City Author

Third Circuit Upholds Subgroup Disparate Impact Claims Under the ADEA

The Third Circuit Court of Appeals recently created a circuit split when it disagreed with prior decisions from the Second, Sixth, and Eighth Circuits regarding the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA). In Karlo v. Pittsburgh Glass Works, LLC, No. 15-3435 (January 10, 2017), the Third Circuit held that “subgroup” disparate impact claims are cognizable under the ADEA.

Simone R.D. Francis St. Thomas
New York City Author

KyraAnne Gates Torrance Author

More Than the Temperature Is Rising: U.S. Virgin Islands Minimum Wage to Increase This Summer

On March 23, 2016, the U.S. Virgin Islands joined the growing list of states, municipalities, and territories that have adjusted their minimum wage above the federal minimum wage, which has been set at $7.25 per hour since 2009. The minimum wage will increase to $8.35 per hour beginning 90 days following the effective date of the Act (or June 21, 2016).

Simone R.D. Francis St. Thomas
New York City Author

When Does Termination of the Employment Relationship Violate Public Policy? The Restatement of Employment Law Offers a New Framework

In July of 2015, the American Law Institute published the first Restatement of Employment Law. The Restatement provides a new lens through which employers, employees, and courts can evaluate the common law duties affecting the employment relationship.

Simone R.D. Francis St. Thomas
New York City Author

Virgin Islands Supreme Court Addresses Wrongful Discharge Act and Other Statutory Causes of Action

In a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court of the Virgin Islands held that the Wrongful Discharge Act (WDA) provides a remedy not only when an individual is discharged or resigns under circumstances that are alleged to constitute a constructive discharge, but also when the individual is demoted from a previously held position.

Simone R.D. Francis St. Thomas
New York City Author

Virgin Islands Supreme Court Issues Important Decision for Employers

On February 6, 2015, the Supreme Court of the Virgin Islands issued a decision that addresses several aspects of territorial laws prohibiting discrimination and limiting the permissible reasons for discharging employees. Rennie v. Hess Oil Virgin Islands Corp., No. 2014-0028 (V.I. Feb. 6, 2015). The decision is likely to have far reaching…..

Simone R.D. Francis St. Thomas
New York City Author

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