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Massachusetts Wage Act

Minimum Hourly Pay Rate Is Now $13.50 Per Hour

With the new year came the latest in a series of hikes to the Massachusetts minimum wage. Effective January 1, 2021, the minimum pay rate reached $13.50 per hour on … more →


Court Award of 3X Wage Damages to Former Employee is a Warning for Employers

In a decision that sounds a warning to employers, the Massachusetts Court of Appeals recently concluded that triple damages under the Wage Act may be awardable even to former employees. … more →


Minimum Wage Rates Set to Increase January 1, 2020

Massachusetts minimum wage rates are set to make their next jumps on January 1, 2020. Effective that day, all employees must be paid at least $12.75 per hour. Tipped employees … more →


Recent SJC Decision Demonstrates Big Downside for Employers who Misapply Massachusetts Wage Laws, even in Good Faith

In a case that demonstrates the travails that sometimes plague employers who believe, at least, they are complying with Massachusetts wage laws, the Supreme Judicial Court recently decided that an … more →


In Case You Didn’t Know: Minimum Wage in Massachusetts is Now $12/Hour

For those either too busy to hear the news last July, or maybe just too forgetful to recall it, the minimum wage in Massachusetts rose to $12/hour on January 1, … more →


Massachusetts Attorney General Issues Guidance to Help Employers Prepare for the Equal Pay Act

With just four months until a revised Massachusetts Equal Pay Act takes effect and unleashes what is likely to be a wave of pay discrimination lawsuits, the state’s Attorney General … more →


Massachusetts High Court Clarifies that Sick Leave is not Wages

Though most employment lawyers never thought of accrued sick leave benefits as a wage, it took only one, armed with a big enough sick leave balance, to test the question … more →


Hiking of Minimum Wage to $15/Hour Makes its Way toward the Ballot Box for November 2018

Dissatisfied with the recent increase of the Massachusetts minimum wage to $11/hour and its failed efforts to get the state legislature to move the hourly rate to $15, a coalition … more →


With the New Equal Pay Act Set to Take Effect on July 1, 2018, it’s Time for Employers to Evaluate their Wage Practices

The effective date of the new Massachusetts Equal Pay Act is fast approaching, and employers who have not yet begun to evaluate wage disparities between men and women need to … more →


Supreme Judicial Court Rules that Employees get Interest on Unpaid Wages but not Statutory Penalties

The Supreme Judicial Court this week issued its latest interpretation of the Massachusetts Wage Act, Mass. Gen. L. ch. 150, §§148-150. It ruled that prejudgment interest on unpaid wages and … more →