Katherine M. Gordon, Author at Laborsphere

State & Local Employment Law Developments: Q2 2022

Alabama

Leave Benefits for Adoption: Alabama’s Adoption Promotion Act (the Act) takes effect on July 1, 2022 and requires employers with 50 or more employees to provide eligible employees with up to 12 weeks of unpaid family leave for the birth or adoption of a child. The Act also mandates that employers who provide paid leave benefits and additional leave considerations for the birth of a child provide similar benefits for adoption.

Marketplace Contractors: Effective July 1, 2022, marketplace contractors are not considered employees under workers’ compensation and unemployment insurance laws (if certain conditions are met). Marketplace contractors are persons/entities who enter into agreements with marketplace platforms to be connected with third parties seeking services — such as drivers for Uber and Lyft.

Arizona

Expansion of Employer Definition under Sexual Harassment Discrimination: Arizona enacted a change to the sexual harassment provisions of existing employment discrimination law, so that the law applies to any employers or their agents who commit sexual harassment or retaliate against someone for reporting it.

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State & Local Employment Law Developments: Q1 2022

The first quarter of 2022 continued the trend of increasing regulation of the workplace by state and local governments. Although it is not possible to discuss all state and local laws, this update provides an overview of recent and upcoming legislative developments to help you and your organization stay in compliance. (Please note that developments related to issues such as minimum wage rates and COVID-19 are not included.)

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Employers Adjust as COVID-19 Restrictions and Regulations Are Rolled Back Globally

On February 21, Britain’s Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, announced that all of England’s COVID-19 regulations and restrictions would be revoked in coming weeks. Shortly thereafter, countries across the globe began to follow suit.

In the United Kingdom, mandatory vaccination regulations for employees in England’s health and social care settings that were due to be implemented April 1, 2022, will be revoked by March 15, 2022.
In Austria, the country’s universal COVID-19 vaccination mandate will be suspended. The measure was signed into law on February 4, but compliance checks were not scheduled to start until March 15.

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NYC Takes Center Stage as the First City to Mandate COVID-19 Vaccination for Private Employers

As federal vaccine mandates are currently stayed pending the outcome of litigation in federal courts, on December 6, 2021 the outgoing New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a first-in-the-nation COVID-19 vaccine mandate for private-sector workplaces. The mandate, which will take effect on December 27, will apply to roughly 184,000 businesses spread over the City’s five boroughs. With the December 27 deadline approaching, here’s what New York City employers need to know to get in compliance quickly.

What Are the General Requirements under the New York City COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate?

On December 13, the New York City health commissioner issued an order to require COVID-19 vaccination in the workplace, which was implemented by Mayor de Blasio’s Emergency Executive Order, and followed by additional guidance on the NYC COVID-19 Vaccine Workplace Requirement, a list of Frequently Asked Questions and a compliance checklist Flyer for Business Owners issued by the New York City Department of Health.

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