In 1982, a law was passed called the Uniformed Services Former Spouse Protection Act (USFSPA), which gave Massachusetts and other state divorce courts the ability to treat military retirement pay as marital property that can be divided between the spouses. The 10/10...
The Massachusetts personnel record law, M.G.L. chapter 149, § 52C, allows a current or former employee to get a copy of their personnel file. ''Personnel record'', a record kept by an employer that identifies an employee, to the extent that the record is used or has...
Massachusetts has agreed to a $40 million settlement in a long-running case brought by police who had argued that the state’s promotional exam to attain the rank of sergeant discriminated against Black and Hispanic candidates. The agreement could affect about 600...
Wage theft is more common than armed robbery in our country and three times as costly to the economy. Here in Massachusetts, wage theft costs individual workers more than $1 billion a year in earned wages. This hurts our communities and all the state’s taxpayers. The...
With the current gender pay gap, women in the U.S. make about 82% of what men make. In the U.S. military, however, this gap does not exist, at least at the basic level. Because basic pay structure is based on pay grade and time in service, service members receive...
Lawmakers in New York City seem poised to pass a bill that would make it illegal to discriminate based on weight and height, according to reports. The bill, introduced by Council Member Shaun Abreu last Spring, would amend the city's code to prohibit "discrimination...
The Department of Housing and Urban Development, via a final rule, is rescinding a 2020 Fair Housing Act rule and reinstating HUD’s Discriminatory Effects Standard, which dates back to 2013, the agency announced. “Discrimination in housing continues today and...
A qualified domestic relations order (QDRO) is a legal document, typically found in a Massachusetts divorce agreement that recognizes that a spouse, former spouse, child, or other dependent is entitled to receive a predefined portion of the account owner’s retirement...
Massachusetts parents are continuing to save for college with 529 plans as the fate of President Joe Biden’s student debt loan relief program is awaiting a Supreme Court decision in June. These plans, which are advantaged savings plans designed to encourage saving for...
Individuals are protected from discrimination by places of public accommodation by both federal and Massachusetts laws, including Title II of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 272....