KSR Law

04/02/2020

Check out the latest Employer Update from KSR Law:

In our last Coronavirus update on March 17, we provided early information on employee furloughs, unemployment qualifications, small business loans and the like. Obviously, the illness has run rampant since … more →

12/30/2019

Massachusetts minimum wage rates are set to make their next jumps on January 1, 2020. Effective that day, all employees must be paid at least $12.75 per hour. Tipped employees must receive no less than $4.95 per hour, and their overall compensation must, of course, meet the minimum hourly threshold. Read the latest blog post from KSR Law employment lawyer Jack Merrill. https://bit.ly/2u2iWa1

Massachusetts minimum wage rates are set to make their next jumps on January 1, 2020. Effective that day, all employees must be paid at least $12.75 per hour. Tipped employees … more →

09/17/2019

Time is running out. Contributions under the Family and Medical Leave Law begin October 1, 2019. Read KSR Law Partner Jack Merrill's latest blog post to learn what Massachusetts employers need to do.

Massachusetts employers should again be gearing up to make deductions from their workers’ pay under the state’s new law on family and medical leave. Contributions begin on wages paid on or after October 1, 2019. Unlike the previously announced start date, this time it appears there will not be a delay. https://bit.ly/2kF3Ymg

Massachusetts employers should again be gearing up to make deductions from their workers’ pay under the state’s new law on family and medical leave. Contributions begin on wages paid on … more →

06/20/2019

After first saying it would not delay the new tax that will fund the Massachusetts Family and Medical Leave Law, the MA legislature reversed course late last week. Both the House and Senate passed and Gov. Charlie Baker signed a bill that delays the tax for 90 days. Employers now don’t have to make deductions from employee pay or set aside their own contributions until October 1. The law as previously set to start July 1, 2019.

The change means employers have more time to prepare for the deductions and notify their employees and independent contractors of what’s to come. Initial payments and reports of worker data will now be due in January 2020. In connection with the delay, the initial tax rate will increase from .63% of worker earnings to .75%. Qualified workers will still be eligible for benefits beginning in 2021.

06/10/2019

On July 1, 2019, virtually all employers in Massachusetts must start making deductions from employee paychecks to fund the new paid leave programs. For employers with more than 25 workers, it’s also the day to start setting aside funding contributions of their own. Read Jack Merrill's post, "Deduction Requirements under the new Massachusetts Family and Medical Leave Law are Set to Begin July 1" to get more info on next steps. https://bit.ly/2F4XtQC

A delay in implementing the new Massachusetts Family and Medical Leave Law appears unlikely now, and the first major step in that process is set to start on July 1. … more →

04/01/2019

Read Jack Merrill's latest blog post, "Recent SJC Decision Demonstrates Big Downside for Employers who Misapply Wage Laws, Even in Good Faith." https://bit.ly/2WBOgFJ

In a case that demonstrates the travails that sometimes plague employers who believe, at least, they are complying with Massachusetts wage laws, the Supreme Judicial Court recently decided that an … more →

03/25/2019

Jack Merrill shares his thoughts on why employers need to have strong employee handbooks. To learn more, please read "New Laws in 2018 Bring Risks to Employers that Make Keeping an Effective Employee Handbook More Important than Ever." https://bit.ly/2TUjc7b

In Massachusetts, doing what seems fair for employees and hoping for the best is no longer good enough. The legal landscape is too complex, the risks far too great. Employers … more →

03/19/2019

A U.S. District Court judge recently found that a professor can sue her college over what she sees as an unfair tenure review process. The holding’s significance is heightened by the fact that the court dismissed the plaintiff’s other claims, which were likely her primary ones – gender and race discrimination – and permitted suit to proceed only on a theory that the college breached a contract implied by its employee handbook. While employment manuals are a valuable tool that virtually every employer should use, they present risks that must be addressed by careful drafting. Read Jack Merrill's blog at https://bit.ly/2TY3Hu5.

In a case that illustrates the dangers employers face from poorly drafted employment manuals and from manuals that give a too many rights to their employees, a U.S. District Court … more →

03/04/2019

With implementation of a tax under the recently enacted Massachusetts Family and Medical Leave Act less than five months away, the newly formed Department of Family and Medical Leave has issued draft rules for the program. As expected, they will impose substantial new burdens on employers. Read more at https://bit.ly/2Tp5msv.

With implementation of a tax under the recently enacted Massachusetts Family and Medical Leave Act less than five months away, the newly formed Department of Family and Medical Leave has … more →

02/21/2019

KSR Law's Attorney Jack Merrill - Massachusetts Employment Lawyer published the blog, "Massachusetts Should Enforce Noncompetition Agreements only in Local Courts," which discusses the practice by non-resident companies of filing lawsuits in distant states to circumvent Massachusetts law. Read the full post at https://bit.ly/2DZcbr0.

01/21/2019

Today, we celebrate the life and legacy of and his mission of and for all.

01/15/2019

The minimum wage in Massachusetts rose to $12/hour on January 1, 2019. It’s the first of 5 hourly rate increases that will take effect each January 1 through 2023. The minimum wage for regular hourly workers will increase by 75 cents each year until it hits $15, a figure that, as things now stand, will make Massachusetts minimum wage workers among the highest paid in the United States. Read Jack Merrill’s Employment Law blog to get the full update. https://bit.ly/2VYiIdN

For those either too busy to hear the news last July, or maybe just too forgetful to recall it, the minimum wage in Massachusetts rose to $12/hour on January 1, … more →