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	<title>Working the Law: News and Views on Employment Issues</title>
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	<link>http://www.framinghamlegal.com</link>
	<description>By Massachusetts Employment Lawyer Jack Merrill</description>
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		<title>Massachusetts to Grant Work Leave Rights to Domestic Violence Victims?</title>
		<link>http://www.framinghamlegal.com/2012/01/massachusetts-to-grant-work-leave-rights-to-domestic-violence-victims/</link>
		<comments>http://www.framinghamlegal.com/2012/01/massachusetts-to-grant-work-leave-rights-to-domestic-violence-victims/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 13 Jan 2012 13:13:49 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jack</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Discrimination]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Employee - Employment Law]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Employer - Employment Law]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Massachusetts Employment Law]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wrongful Termination]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.framinghamlegal.com/?p=360</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[By an overwhelming vote of 34-0, the Massachusetts State Senate voted on January 12 to grant victims of domestic violence up to 15 days of annual leave. The bill is not yet law as it must be approved by the state&#8217;s house of representatives and then signed by Governor Deval Patrick. Given the lack of dissent in [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.framinghamlegal.com/2012/01/massachusetts-to-grant-work-leave-rights-to-domestic-violence-victims/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>In MA is it legal for an interviewer to ask if I&#8217;ve been convicted of a felony?</title>
		<link>http://www.framinghamlegal.com/2011/12/in-ma-is-it-legal-for-an-interviewer-to-ask-if-ive-been-convicted-of-a-felony/</link>
		<comments>http://www.framinghamlegal.com/2011/12/in-ma-is-it-legal-for-an-interviewer-to-ask-if-ive-been-convicted-of-a-felony/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 14 Dec 2011 20:20:57 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jack Merrill</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Legal Questions & Answers]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.framinghamlegal.com/?p=357</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Additional  Information: During a recent job interview, I was asked if I was ever convicted of a felony.   I felt I had to answer the question so I answered honestly, &#8220;yes&#8221; for something that happened over 10 years ago.   I thought it was against the law in MA for employers to ask this?   Is there [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.framinghamlegal.com/2011/12/in-ma-is-it-legal-for-an-interviewer-to-ask-if-ive-been-convicted-of-a-felony/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>What does MA law allow employers to say in a reference check?</title>
		<link>http://www.framinghamlegal.com/2011/12/what-does-ma-law-allow-employers-to-say-in-a-reference-check/</link>
		<comments>http://www.framinghamlegal.com/2011/12/what-does-ma-law-allow-employers-to-say-in-a-reference-check/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 01 Dec 2011 20:20:27 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jack Merrill</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Legal Questions & Answers]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.framinghamlegal.com/?p=355</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Additional Information: I&#8217;m been unemployed for 6 months and have been applying for jobs and interviewing but have received no job offers.  Then I got to wondering what my former employer can say about me in a reference?  Does MA law restrict employers from only providing info like dates worked and title and job responsibilities?  [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.framinghamlegal.com/2011/12/what-does-ma-law-allow-employers-to-say-in-a-reference-check/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
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		<title>Legislature Holds Hearing on Bills that would Rewrite Independent Contractor Law</title>
		<link>http://www.framinghamlegal.com/2011/11/legislature-holds-hearing-on-bills-that-would-rewrite-independent-contractor-law/</link>
		<comments>http://www.framinghamlegal.com/2011/11/legislature-holds-hearing-on-bills-that-would-rewrite-independent-contractor-law/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 04 Nov 2011 20:02:54 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jack</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Employee - Employment Law]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Employer - Employment Law]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Independent Contractors]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Massachusetts Wage Act]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wages and Commissions]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.framinghamlegal.com/?p=351</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A committee of the Massachusetts state legislature held a hearing on November 3, 2011 to take input on 4 pending bills that aim to revise the state&#8217;s independent contractor statute. The law has been under fire from some circles due to language that, read literally, essentially bans the use of contractors in Massachusetts. It&#8217;s not the first time opposition forces [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
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		<title>Wage Act&#8217;s Triple Damages Provision is Not Retroactive</title>
		<link>http://www.framinghamlegal.com/2011/10/wage-acts-triple-damages-provision-is-not-retroactive/</link>
		<comments>http://www.framinghamlegal.com/2011/10/wage-acts-triple-damages-provision-is-not-retroactive/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 17 Oct 2011 21:01:57 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jack</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Employee - Employment Law]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Employer - Employment Law]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Massachusetts Employment Law]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Massachusetts Wage Act]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wages and Commissions]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.framinghamlegal.com/?p=347</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Massachusetts&#8217; highest court has ruled that the 2008 amendment to the state&#8217;s Wage Act is not retroactive. As a result, claims involving work that straddles the July 2008 effective date of the rewritten law will be governed by two different standards. For damages related to work that occurred prior to July 2008, a plaintiff employee [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>MCAD Exempts Itself from from Bankruptcy Stay Rule</title>
		<link>http://www.framinghamlegal.com/2011/09/mcad-exempts-itself-from-from-bankruptcy-stay-rule/</link>
		<comments>http://www.framinghamlegal.com/2011/09/mcad-exempts-itself-from-from-bankruptcy-stay-rule/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 20 Sep 2011 11:37:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jack</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Discrimination]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Employee - Employment Law]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Employer - Employment Law]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Massachusetts Employment Law]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wrongful Termination]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.framinghamlegal.com/?p=344</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In a decision many employment lawyers may find surprising, the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination refused in June to stay proceedings in an age and sex bias case despite the employer&#8217;s filing of a bankruptcy petition. The MCAD instead proceeded to hearing and entered a judgment of nearly $250,000 for the employee, concluding that the bankrupt respondent &#8220;has chosen to default rather than [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.framinghamlegal.com/2011/09/mcad-exempts-itself-from-from-bankruptcy-stay-rule/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Enforcing Noncompetion Agreements against Independent Contractors may be Problematic for Employers</title>
		<link>http://www.framinghamlegal.com/2011/08/enforcing-noncompetion-agreements-against-independent-contractors-may-be-problematic-for-employers/</link>
		<comments>http://www.framinghamlegal.com/2011/08/enforcing-noncompetion-agreements-against-independent-contractors-may-be-problematic-for-employers/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 31 Aug 2011 18:10:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jack</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Employee - Employment Law]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Employer - Employment Law]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Independent Contractors]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Massachusetts Employment Law]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Non-competition Agreements]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.framinghamlegal.com/?p=338</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[As if employers don&#8217;t have enough to worry about when they try to enforce noncompetition agrreements against their former employers, some are discovering that things get even trickier when they look to do so against workers who were arguably misclassified as independent contractors. In addition to the normal hurdles &#8212; including proving that a valid contract [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.framinghamlegal.com/2011/08/enforcing-noncompetion-agreements-against-independent-contractors-may-be-problematic-for-employers/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Can I collect pay out of unused vacation time?</title>
		<link>http://www.framinghamlegal.com/2011/07/can-i-collect-pay-out-of-unused-vacation-time/</link>
		<comments>http://www.framinghamlegal.com/2011/07/can-i-collect-pay-out-of-unused-vacation-time/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 29 Jul 2011 15:09:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jack Merrill</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Legal Questions & Answers]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.framinghamlegal.com/?p=328</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Additional Information: I&#8217;m coming up on my 5 year anniversary with a Worcester MA company.  I will be giving my 2 weeks notice around the time of my 5 year anniversary.  At the 5 year point we bump up to 4 weeks of vacation. Would I still be able to collect the pay out for [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.framinghamlegal.com/2011/07/can-i-collect-pay-out-of-unused-vacation-time/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Judge Shocks Employment Bar with Narrow Wage Act Ruling</title>
		<link>http://www.framinghamlegal.com/2011/07/judge-shocks-employment-bar-with-narrow-wage-act-ruling/</link>
		<comments>http://www.framinghamlegal.com/2011/07/judge-shocks-employment-bar-with-narrow-wage-act-ruling/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 05 Jul 2011 20:18:24 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jack</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Employee - Employment Law]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Employer - Employment Law]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Massachusetts Employment Law]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Massachusetts Wage Act]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wages and Commissions]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.framinghamlegal.com/?p=323</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In a decision that can be described as nothing less than shocking to many in the employment law arena, a superior court judge has held that the Massachusetts Wage Act does not apply to limited liability companies (LLC) in the same way it covers corporations. Applying a narrow view of the law&#8217;s specific language and rejecting the implications [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.framinghamlegal.com/2011/07/judge-shocks-employment-bar-with-narrow-wage-act-ruling/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Workers&#8217; Comp Insurance No Bar to Suit by Independent Contractors Hurt on the Job</title>
		<link>http://www.framinghamlegal.com/2011/06/workers-comp-insurance-no-bar-to-suit-by-independent-contractors-hurt-on-the-job/</link>
		<comments>http://www.framinghamlegal.com/2011/06/workers-comp-insurance-no-bar-to-suit-by-independent-contractors-hurt-on-the-job/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 23 Jun 2011 12:53:57 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jack</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Employee - Employment Law]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Employer - Employment Law]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Independent Contractors]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Massachusetts Employment Law]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Massachusetts Wage Act]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.framinghamlegal.com/?p=317</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Supreme Judicial Court has added yet another reason for employers to properly classify their workers &#8212; the threat of a direct lawsuit by non-employees injured on the job, even if those workers first collect hefty workers&#8217; compensation payouts. In a May 23, 2011 decision, the Court held that the state law barring injured employees from suing [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.framinghamlegal.com/2011/06/workers-comp-insurance-no-bar-to-suit-by-independent-contractors-hurt-on-the-job/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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