I am a small business owner, and I am lucky to have many friends and clients who own their own businesses. I have found that regardless of the backgrounds of these friends and clients, the size of their businesses, or their industries, that a common theme exists: a...
Category: Employer Liability
Work in the Time of Corona
Crazy times, and our collective health should be at the forefront of everyone’s minds. With that as a given (I hope!), I figured it may be useful to check in on one of my favorite areas of law, employment, to see what employers and employees may expect in the coming...
The Medical Marijuana Wrongful Termination Case
The highest state court in Massachusetts (Supreme Judicial Court, or “SJC”) decided this week that an employee who has lawfully used marijuana for medical purposes cannot be subject to any adverse action against her by her employer because of her use of marijuana....
Holy Smoke: What Massachusetts Employers Should Know About The New Marijuana Law
The voters in Massachusetts have passed a new law which allows the possession and recreational use of marijuana. The statute takes effect on December 15, 2016. With that said, the possession of marijuana will remain illegal under federal law. There are...
Thou Shalt Not Bear False Witness Against Thy Employee
The law of defamation is of growing importance in the area of employment law. Suits brought by employees against employers now account for one third of all defamation actions. For decades, the courts have tried to balance employees’ need for legal redress when...
The Need for Evolution in Employment Law
One area of law that has a lot of catching up to do is that of the employee’s rights when the employer terminates her for wholly unfair reasons. Such employer actions are often devastating to the well qualified, hardworking and productive employee who otherwise holds...
Massachusetts Sick Time Law: A Primer
by Richard E. Burke, Esq.
Massachusetts has enacted a new sick time law and regulations effective July 1, 2015. The new law, Mass.G.L. c. 149, §148C, allows all employees in Massachusetts to earn sick time. Significantly, the law includes full-time, part-time, temporary and seasonal employees
AT – WILL EMPLOYMENT AND DISCRIMINATION
We often receive calls from employees who feel they have been discriminated against or harassed at work. In many cases, they believe they have been the victim of unfair treatment by a manager. Sometimes, they assert that they have been treated differently than other...