Law and the Workplace
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Allison Martin

Allison Martin is an associate in the Labor & Employment Law Department. Allison’s practice includes a wide range of employment litigation matters at the state and federal levels, including employment discrimination arising under Title VII and similar state statutes, retaliation claims, and wage-and-hour issues. Allison also plays an important role in advising clients on employee leave policies.

At Seton Hall University School of Law, Allison was an Articles Editor for the Seton Hall Law Review. While in law school, Allison interned for Chief Judge Garrett E. Brown (Ret.) of the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.

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Congress Passes American Rescue Plan: What Employers Need to Know

On March 10, 2021, Congress passed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (“Rescue Plan”), a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package intended to provide continued economic relief to individuals, businesses, and state and local governments during the COVID-19 pandemic. President Biden is expected to sign the bill into law. The following is a summary of … Continue Reading

Congress Seeks to Extend Many CARES Act Unemployment Benefits in Pandemic Relief Package

*** UPDATE: After being presented with the bill on Thursday, December 24, President Trump signed it into law on Sunday, December 27.  The unemployment provisions take effect upon signing, but because states process unemployment benefit claims on a weekly basis that generally begin each Saturday, benefits under the new law likely will be paid starting … Continue Reading

U.S. DOL Answers Questions From States About PUA Unemployment Program

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) recently issued an update to its Unemployment Insurance Program Letter (UIPL) 16-20 to provide additional guidance on the CARES Act’s Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program in response to questions submitted by states. As a quick refresher, PUA expands unemployment benefit coverage to certain workers who traditionally are not eligible … Continue Reading

U.S. DOL Issues Additional Guidance on CARES Act Unemployment Programs

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) recently published two additional Unemployment Insurance Program Letters (UIPLs) providing guidance on the administration of the expanded unemployment insurance benefits under the CARES Act. The following summarizes the key points of these UIPLs. UIPL No. 15-20 addresses the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) provision of the CARES Act, under … Continue Reading

CARES Act Expands Unemployment Insurance Benefits

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the “CARES Act”) was signed into law on March 27, 2020. The $2.2 trillion package included various provisions increasing and expanding unemployment insurance benefits available to workers, including individuals who are unemployed, partially unemployed, or unable to work due to COVID-19. How does the CARES Act increase … Continue Reading

EEOC Rescinds Its Long-Standing Policy Statement On Arbitration Agreements

The EEOC has rescinded its 1997 Policy Statement on Mandatory Binding Arbitration of Employment Discrimination Disputes as a Condition of Employment (the “Policy Statement”), which set forth the Commission’s position that agreements requiring mandatory arbitration of discrimination claims as a condition of employment are contrary to the principles of the federal employment discrimination statutes. In … Continue Reading

Vermont Becomes the Fifth State with a Paid Sick Leave Law

A new Vermont law will require most employers to provide paid sick time to employees. Vermont is the fifth state to adopt a paid sick leave law, following Connecticut, California, Massachusetts, and Oregon.  The law will be effective on January 1, 2017. Some Key Provisions of the New Law: While the law takes effect on … Continue Reading

New Brunswick Passes Local Sick Leave Ordinance, While New Jersey Legislature Considers Statewide Paid Leave Bills

As 2015 comes to a close, paid sick leave remains a hot issue in New Jersey. The City of New Brunswick recently became the eleventh municipality in New Jersey to mandate paid sick leave, but will be the first city in the state to specify that leave may be used for purposes related to domestic … Continue Reading

Elizabeth Poised to Become the Tenth Municipality in New Jersey to Mandate Paid Sick Leave

Voters in Elizabeth, New Jersey overwhelmingly approved a public question on the ballot requiring private-sector employers in the city to provide paid sick leave to their employees.  Elizabeth follows the lead of multiple jurisdictions (state and local) that have adopted similar measures across the country, including the following municipalities in New Jersey:  Jersey City, Newark, … Continue Reading

Jersey City, New Jersey Expands Paid Sick Leave

The Jersey City Council voted to expand the scope of the City’s existing sick leave ordinance yesterday.  Under the Ordinance as amended, employers with less than 10 employees now will be required to provide employees with up to 24 hours of paid sick leave and up to 16 hours of unpaid sick leave per year.  … Continue Reading

Pittsburgh’s New Sick Leave Ordinance Challenged in State Court

In August, the City of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania passed an ordinance that will require most employers to provide workers with paid or unpaid sick time. Pittsburgh follows the lead of Philadelphia, which approved a similar measure earlier this year. Shortly thereafter, the Pennsylvania Restaurant and Lodging Association and a group of Pittsburgh businesses filed a challenge … Continue Reading

Oregon Becomes the Fourth State with a Paid Sick Leave Law

Oregon recently passed a new law that will require most employers with 10 or more employees to provide paid sick time. Oregon is the fourth state to adopt a paid sick leave law, following Connecticut, California, and Massachusetts.   Some Key Provisions of the Passed Bill: Effective January 1, 2016, employers with 10 or more … Continue Reading

Philadelphia Issues Sick Leave Notice

The City of Philadelphia Managing Director’s Office (“the Agency”) recently issued its official notice of employee rights under the Philadelphia sick leave ordinance. Philadelphia’s sick leave ordinance, which takes effect on May 13, 2015, requires employers to provide employees with notice of their right to sick leave by either distributing the notice to each employee … Continue Reading

Voters in Four Jurisdictions Pass Sick Leave Ballot Initiatives

The national sick leave trend continues to gain momentum as voters in Massachusetts, Trenton and Montclair, New Jersey, and Oakland, California approved ballot initiatives requiring employers within each jurisdiction to provide sick leave to their employees.  Similar laws already have taken effect in several jurisdictions across the country, including the States of Connecticut and California, … Continue Reading

Four More New Jersey Cities Enact Sick Leave Laws

Four New Jersey municipalities—Passaic, Paterson, Irvington, and East Orange—recently enacted  ordinances requiring employers to provide paid sick leave to their employees. The Ordinances will take effect in January 2015, or, for employees who are covered by a collective bargaining agreement, upon expiration of the CBA.  Similar laws already have taken effect in Newark and Jersey … Continue Reading

New York City Issues Additional Sick Leave Act FAQS

The New York City Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) has been busy answering questions about administration of sick leave under the New York City Earned Sick Time Act.  In light of ambiguities in the law and regulations, the DCA has released new Frequently Asked Questions (“FAQS”) to provide additional guidance on the Act’s application to … Continue Reading

Tennessee Enacts Trio of Employment Laws

Tennessee’s governor recently signed three new employment laws. The first, a social media law, takes effect on January 1, 2015,and provides applicants and employees with social media protections similar to those in fifteen other states.The second, a negligent hiring and retention law, designed to provide a measure of protection to employers that hire and retain … Continue Reading

Third Circuit Embraces “Lower Bar” for Successor Liability under the FLSA

In Thompson v. Real Estate Mortgage Network, the Third Circuit adopted a standard of successor liability that will lower the bar for whether an employer can be held accountable under the Fair Labor Standards Act for the wage and hour violations of its predecessor. Read this alert to learn more about the decision.   Read … Continue Reading

Wisconsin Latest State to Provide Social Media Protections to Applicants and Employees

On April 10, 2014, a new Wisconsin law took effect to prohibit employers from requiring or requesting that prospective and current employees disclose usernames and passwords for their personal Internet accounts. Read this alert to learn more about the new law.   Read the full text of this alert.… Continue Reading

New Jersey “Sandy” Law Preserves Employee Eligibility for Leave and Benefits

In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, Governor Christie signed a law making it easier for employees who are furloughed or laid off because of a “state of emergency” to meet eligibility requirements under New Jersey’s Family Leave Act or the Security and Financial Empowerment Act. Read this alert to learn more about the new law, … Continue Reading

New York State Takes Aim at Worker Misclassification: The Commercial Goods Transportation Industry Fair Play Act

  On Friday, January 10, 2014, Governor Cuomo signed into law the New York State Commercial Goods Transportation Industry Fair Play Act (the Act), which is effective on March 11, 2014. The Act amends the New York Labor Law to create a presumption that any person performing commercial goods transportation services for a commercial goods … Continue Reading

Okay to Terminate Employee for Violating No-Alcohol Provision of Return to Work Agreement, Says Third Circuit

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit affirmed that an employer may discharge a driver sales representative who suffers from alcoholism for violating a return to work agreement (RWA) that prohibits the use of drugs or alcohol in Ostrowski v. Con-way Freight, Inc., No. 12-3800, 2013 WL 5814131 (3d Cir. Oct. 30, 2013). … Continue Reading
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