Page 157 - An Indispensible Resource for Being a Credible Activist

ees, along with employees of any county, municipality, school district, or other political sub-
division, may not be laid off from their employment position if they have been on military
leave of absence for active service in the Armed Forces of the United States in a time of war
or emergency. Employers in New York are required, at their option, either to grant a 3-hour
leave of absence every 12 months to an employee who seeks to donate blood or to allow
their employees to donate blood during work hours at least two times per year, without
using any accumulated leave time. Rhode Island employers of more than 50 employees are
now required to provide up to 30 days of unpaid family military leave during the time
Federal or State orders are in effect, as long as the employees meet certain requirements.
The employee also must have exhausted all other types of leave, except for sick and disabil-
ity leave. Employees in Vermont shall have the right to take unpaid leave from employment
for the purpose of attending a town meeting, provided that they notify the employer at least
7 days prior to the date of the town meeting. In addition, employers in Vermont shall pro-
vide reasonable time, either compensated or uncompensated, throughout the day for
employees who continue to express breast milk for a nursing child 3 years after the birth of
the child. Employees of the State, county, city, or any other political subdivision of
Washington shall be entitled to, and shall be granted, military leave of absence from such
employment for a period not exceeding 21 days each year.
Wages paid. California has made it a misdemeanor for an employer to require an
employee, as a condition of being paid, to execute a statement of the hours the employee
may have worked during a pay period when the employer knows the statement to be false.
Colorado established the following definition of “paycard”: “an access device that employ-
ees use to receive their payroll funds from their employer.” Employers must meet two con-
ditions in order to utilize paycards. Persons in Florida who, because of financial hardship,
cannot satisfy a civil penalty shall be allowed to satisfy the penalty by participating in com-
munity service and shall receive credit for their service at the hourly rate specified under
the Federal Fair Labor Standards Act. Iowa law now states that, upon written request by an
employee, an employer must send any wages due to the employee by mail. Employers in
Maryland are required to give each employee, at the time of hiring, notice of the employee’s
rate of pay, the regular paydays set by the employer, and leave benefits. New Jersey law now
states that when a contract between a principal and a sales representative to solicit orders
is terminated, the commissions and other compensation earned as a result of the represen-
tative relationship, but remaining unpaid, shall become due and payable within 30 days of
the date the contract is terminated or within 30 days of the date the commissions are due,
whichever is later. Upon meeting certain requirements, employers in West Virginia are now
permitted to pay the wages that are due employees via the utilization of a payroll card and
a payroll card account.
Worker privacy. Connecticut expanded the list of public employees in the State whose
residential addresses may not be released under the Freedom of Information Act. Colorado
employers may no longer require, as a condition of employment, that employees not dis-
close their wages or require employees to sign a waiver or other document that purports to
deny them the right to disclose information about their wages. Florida added a number of
positions of employment to those categories, which are exempt from the State’s public-
records requirement. Among these positions are general and special magistrates, judges of

140 The H R Toolkit