By Morgan E. Hedly and Michael A. Gamboli Recent amendments to the Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) law now allow employees to use accrued paid leave, such as sick time, vacation time and personal days, to supplement PFML benefits at any time during leave. The Department of Family and Medical Leave (DFML) has...
Employment & LaborIntellectual PropertyNewsThe AI Angst: Businesses, Workers Grapple with Navigating Uncharted Tech Territory
September 8, 2023
Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) is causing angst amongst employers and employees alike. As highlighted in a recent Providence Business News article, concerns range from workers being replaced by technology, to subpar work product being created by AI platforms, to overall uncertainty and lack of understanding as to what the technology can do. As a labor and...
PSH Partner Michael Gamboli was quoted in Rhode Island Lawyers Weekly commenting on a recent proposed rule for the Pregnant Worker Fairness Act (“PWFA”) from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”). The ruling triggered a 60-day public comment period. The notice, in part, explains how the EEOC interprets the PWFA and certain terms contained...
Employment & LaborNewsPress ReleasesFormer Head of Legal at RIDLT and Pay Equity Guru Joins PSH
August 3, 2023
PROVIDENCE, RI – Partridge Snow & Hahn (PSH), a leading full-service business law and litigation firm, is excited to announce that Sean Fontes has joined PSH’s team of accomplished Employment & Litigation attorneys. Immediately prior to joining PSH, Sean served as the Executive Counsel for the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training for twelve...
By Michael A. Gamboli It is that time of year again, when the Rhode Island legislature ends its session and passes a number of laws that affect businesses with Rhode Island based employees. 2023 was no different. Following is a short summary of the more important new laws that Rhode Island businesses must be aware...
Client AlertsEmployment & LaborNewsNonprofitThe Supreme Court Strikes Down Race-Based College Admissions in Landmark Harvard/UNC Decision
July 7, 2023
By Madeline M. Ursini, Elizabeth O. Manchester, and Alicia J. Samolis On June 29, 2023, the Supreme Court of the United States determined the constitutionality of the race-based admissions policies employed by Harvard College and the University of North Carolina in the landmark cases Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard...
Client AlertsEmployment & LaborNewsSupreme Court Clears the Way for an Influx of Religious Accommodation Requests
July 5, 2023
By Michael A. Gamboli and Alicia J. Samolis As is tradition, the United States Supreme Court likes to save its blockbuster opinions until the end of the term. Such is the case with the June 28 ruling in Groff v. Dejoy, where the Court, while indicating that it was merely “clarifying” the existing legal standard, may have...
Client AlertsEmployment & LaborNewsEmployers Will Face More Pregnancy Accommodation Requests Under New Federal Law
June 23, 2023
By Michael A. Gamboli and Alicia J. Samolis The new Federal Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (“PWFA”), effective June 27, 2023, purports to expand current federal protections by requiring certain employers to provide “reasonable accommodations” to a worker’s known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions, unless the accommodation will cause the employer an...
Client AlertsEmployment & LaborNewsMassachusetts Employer Forced to Pay $24 Million for Failing to Accommodate an Executive’s Anxiety
May 31, 2023
By Michael A. Gamboli and Alicia J. Samolis Mental health issues in the workplace are at an all-time high. And with those issues come a slew of accommodation requests ranging from continued work from home to removal of stressful job duties to not appearing on camera during video calls. While the ADA accommodation process is exploited by...
Client AlertsEmployment & LaborNewsNLRB Prohibits the Use of Confidentiality and Non-disparagement Provisions in Severance Agreements
February 24, 2023
On February 21, 2023, the National Labor Relations Board (“Board”) ruled that an employer violated its employees’ rights under federal law by offering severance agreements that included standard confidentiality and non-disparagement provisions. By way of background, Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act (“NLRA”) protects the rights of non-management employees to engage in “concerted...
