The New York City Comptroller recently proposed new rules regarding wage requirements for construction workers at eligible sites under the Affordable Neighborhoods for New Yorkers (ANNY) tax incentive program. A public virtual hearing regarding the proposed rules is set for 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, January 28, 2026.Continue Reading New York City Comptroller Proposes New Rules for Certain Construction Projects Under the Affordable Neighborhoods for New Yorkers Tax Incentive Program
On December 19, 2025, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed into law Senate Bill S4070B, otherwise known as the Trapped at Work Act (“the Act”). The Act, an amendment to the New York Labor Law, bans promissory notes that require employees to repay their employer for training expenses if they leave their employment before the note period expires.Continue Reading New York Enacts Trapped at Work Act to Ban Employment Promissory Notes
Effective January 1, 2026, Senate Bill 2487 will amend the Illinois Human Rights Act (the “IHRA” or the “Act”). The changes will significantly impact the investigation of IHRA charges and potential penalties.Continue Reading 2026 Amendments to the Illinois Human Rights Act Are a Mixed Bag for Employers
In the new year, New York State is set to increase its minimum wage and overtime exemption salary thresholds. The increase in minimum wage is a part of a broader budget legislation signed by Governor Kathy Hochul in May 2023 which mandated an annual increase in the minimum wage by $0.50. Similarly, the increase in the overtime exemption salary threshold is part of regulations proposed and adopted by the New York Department of Labor in 2023.Continue Reading 2026 Wage Updates for New York State
We recently discussed in an article for Law360 the shifting landscape across the country regarding the release of wage and hour claims. On October 16, 2025, in a unanimous decision, the Third Circuit weighed in on the issue, vacated a Pennsylvania district court’s decision denying approval of a class settlement that released claims under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and concluded that the FLSA does not prohibit the release of FLSA claims through a Rule 23(b)(3) class settlement.Continue Reading Third Circuit Signals Shift in Requirements for Releaseof FLSA Claims In Class Action Settlements
On October 30, 2025, the Nevada Supreme Court issued an important decision in Amazon.com Services, LLC v. Malloy when it concluded that Nevada’s wage and hour laws do not incorporate the federal Portal-to-Portal Act of 1947 (PPA). 29 U.S.C. §§ 251–62. This decision adds a layer of complexity to employers’ continued attempts to comply with myriad differences in federal and state wage and hour laws across the country.Continue Reading Nevada Supreme Court Holds That State Wage and Hour Laws Do Not Incorporate the Federal Portal-to-Portal Act
On September 30, 2025, Governor Newsom signed AB 288 into law, which expands the jurisdiction of California’s Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) by allowing it to enforce private-sector labor rights when the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is unable or unwilling to act.Continue Reading AB 288: California Attempts to Step In as Federal Labor Enforcement Stalls
On September 15, 2025, the Colorado Supreme Court issued a highly anticipated ruling in By the Rockies v. Perez, clarifying that the statute of limitations for claims under the state’s Minimum Wage Act is two years, or three years for a willful violation. This employer-friendly ruling reversed a Colorado Court of Appeals decision holding that plaintiffs have six years to bring such a claim.Continue Reading Colorado Supreme Court Shortens the Statute of Limitations for Colorado Minimum Wage Act Claims
On September 3, 2025, Governor Phil Murphy signed into law New Jersey Assembly Bill 4429 which expands on prior statutory prohibitions on employers’ requiring employees “to attend or listen to communications related to political matters.” Included within the new definition of “political matters” is an “employee’s decision to join or support any. . . labor organization or association.” With this amendment, New Jersey joins New York and a handful of other states to ban employer-mandated meetings to discuss labor organizing at the company.Continue Reading New Jersey Prohibits Employers from Holding Mandatory Meetings on Labor Organizing
As we discussed here, on July 4, 2025, President Donald Trump signed the “One Big Beautiful Bill” Act (OBBBA) into law, which included a provision establishing a new temporary above-the-line tax deduction for “qualified tip income” through at least the 2028 tax year. When we previously discussed the deduction for qualified tip income, the IRS had not yet published its list of individuals who are eligible for the deduction—i.e., anyone who is “in an occupation which customarily and regularly receive[s] tips.”
We now have that guidance.Continue Reading Treasury Department Issues List of Jobs Qualifying for New Tip Income Deduction Under “One Big Beautiful Bill” Act