Compliance Stuff

At a Glance Rhode Island law bans mandatory employer-sponsored meetings on “political” matters, which includes an employer’s position on unionization. The new law creates a private right of action for aggrieved employees. On July 2, 2025, Rhode Island Governor Daniel McKee signed into law House Bill No. 5506 SUB A.    With the stroke of a pen, Rhode Island joined the growing list of states to ban mandatory employer-sponsored meetings regarding religious and “political matters.” The New Law Based on its seemingly innocuous title, the new Section 28-7-50 of the Rhode Island General Laws is intended to promote and protect “[e]mployee rights of free speech in the workplace.”   However, a closer reading of the new law’s definitions section reveals its true purpose: to impose a sweeping—and likely unconstitutional—ban on “captive audience” meetings. The law defines “political matters” as “topics that are unrelated to the employer’s business or business activities, such as subje...

  As the year wraps up, we’re rounding up the new workplace laws that will take effect on January 1. With so many laws about to kick in, it can be hard to keep track of it all. Here’s a guide to some of the federal and state laws you’ll need to comply with on day one of 2025. FEDERAL Phase 2 of the New Overtime Rule  Not  Slated to Take Effect.  A DOL rule that was set to dramatically boost the salary threshold for the so-called “white collar” overtime exemptions was  halted by a federal judge  on November 15. The judge not only struck down the phase-two increase to $59K set to take effect on January 1 but also knocked down the first boost that took the salary floor to $44K in July and the automatic three-year adjustments. That means the exemption threshold is back to roughly $35K – for now. But the DOL recently filed an appeal and may seek an immediate stay of the ruling while the litigation plays out. It’s an unlikely outcome, but it will be worth paying ...

  On November 13, 2024, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued a d ecision prohibiting the practice of holding mandatory employee meetings to discuss the employer’s views on unionization . The decision follows through on the NLRB general counsel’s attack on so-called “captive audience meetings,” an important tool for employers to educate workers about the potential workplace implications of unionization. Quick Hits The NLRB issued a decision prohibiting employers from holding mandatory employee informational meetings to discuss their views on unionization. The decision o verrules a seventy-six-year-old Board precedent that had allowed such meetings. The NLRB outlined a “safe harbor” for employers to hold voluntary meeting s on unionization with employees. The Board held that an employer interferes with employees’ organizing rights under Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) when it “compels employees to attend a captive-audience meeting on pain of discipl...