Many employment law changes go into effect this year, including changes to sick leave, paid time off, minimum wage and Obamacare requirements.
Read on to find out if these employment law changes affect your workplace or your pay.
- Wages – There’s a new minimum wage for Federal Contractors: $10.15 per hour. The raise is a follow-up to a 2014 executive order that established a new Federal minimum wage for all Federal workers, as well as a threshold for future increases.
- Changes in Overtime – The Department of Labor updated Federal overtime laws for the first time since 2004. This means that employees who earn less than $50,400 per year are now eligible for overtime.
- Federal Ban the Box Law – After many states and cities introduced their own “ban the box” legislation, the Federal government may soon be following suit. An Executive order was issued in 2015, but it’s more of a guideline. It requires that employers move questions about criminal background and arrest or conviction history later in the employment screening process. Although it’s not illegal to ask about criminal history, and many employers do to avoid lawsuits, it is illegal to require a “clean record” for employment without considering each case individually.
- Pregnant Workers’ Fairness Act – The EEOC has been piecing together protections for pregnant workers for decades by borrowing parts of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and sections of the ADA. But the Pregnant Worker’s Fairness Act should go before congress in 2016, and will act to protect the rights of expectant parents and accommodate the circumstances that typically arise around pregnancy, birth and caring for an infant.
- Stiffer OSHA penalties – Starting in August 2016, OSHA fines will increase by 80 percent in order to get tough on employers that violate health and safety guidelines.
If you have been the target of workplace harassment, discrimination or unfair termination, please call us to talk about your case. Bouchillon, Crossan & Colburn, L.C. represents clients in federal court and before the EEOC, MSPB and in state and union grievance hearings.
Our attorneys have more than 40 years dedicated to giving clients the attention, advice, support and empowerment they need to effectively meet their goals. We are committed to the principle that all persons shall have equal justice under the law. Call Bouchillon, Crossan & Colburn, L.C. at 304-523-8451 or contact us online to schedule an appointment.