Employment Law Updates That Could Affect Your Workplace

From pay transparency and sick leave to workplace accommodations and arbitration rights, employment laws are evolving fast. Whether you hire nationally or operate in specific regions, staying informed can help you avoid legal missteps and create a fairer, more compliant workplace.

Here’s what employers and HR leaders should know now — including both active laws and trends worth monitoring.

1. Cleveland’s New Salary History and Pay Transparency Law

Effective Date: October 27, 2025

If your company hires in Cleveland—or posts jobs accessible to Cleveland-based applicants—you’ll need to follow a new city ordinance that prohibits salary history inquiries and mandates pay transparency in job postings.

Key Requirements:

Employers may not ask about or rely on a candidate’s salary history when making hiring decisions.
Salary ranges must be included in all job postings. This includes wages, bonuses, commissions, and benefits.
Employers can still discuss salary expectations, as well as unvested equity or deferred compensation.

Enforcement:

Complaints may be filed with the Cleveland Fair Employment Wage Board. Civil penalties apply if violations are not resolved within 90 days:

$1,000 for the first violation
$2,500 for the second
$5,000 for third and subsequent violations

2. Pittsburgh Paid Sick Leave Expansion

Effective Date: January 1, 2026

The Pittsburgh Paid Sick Days Act (PSDA) has been updated, expanding both accrual rates and required annual leave amounts.

What’s Changing:

Employees will accrue one hour of sick time for every 30 hours worked (previously 35).
Employers with 15 or more employees must offer up to 72 hours of paid sick leave per year (up from 40).
Smaller employers must offer up to 48 hours (previously 24).
Unused sick time must carry over unless the employer frontloads the full annual amount.

Action for Employers: Review and update your sick leave policies, payroll systems, and employee handbooks before the changes take effect.

3. Rhode Island Expands Worker Protections

Even if you don’t operate in Rhode Island, these new laws may signal broader legal trends on the horizon.

Menopause Accommodations

Rhode Island is the first state to mandate workplace accommodations for employees and applicants experiencing menopause or related symptoms, such as hot flashes and night sweats.

Employers must:

Engage in a timely, good-faith, interactive process to determine reasonable accommodations.
Provide written notice of these rights:
- To all new hires at the start of employment
- To all current employees by October 22, 2025
- Within 10 days of any employee reporting menopause-related concerns
- Via a posted notice in the workplace

This law amends the Rhode Island Fair Employment Practices Act, extending protections previously limited to pregnancy and childbirth.

View the official announcement from the Rhode Island General Assembly

Captive Audience Law

Rhode Island has also enacted a law prohibiting employers from disciplining, penalizing, or retaliating against employees who refuse to attend meetings, speeches, or electronic communications that express the employer’s views on unionization or other political topics.

Employees have the right to sue for violations and may be awarded:

Back pay
Reinstatement of benefits
Injunctive relief
Attorney’s fees

Action for Employers: Even outside of Rhode Island, it’s worth reviewing how you communicate workplace expectations, especially around political or union-related topics.

4. Puerto Rico Enacts New Worker Protections

If you have operations in Puerto Rico or employ remote workers there, two new labor laws may affect your compliance obligations.

Arbitration Representation (Act No. 37-2025)

Employees who enter arbitration agreements in private employment contracts now have the right to be represented by Puerto Rico’s Department of Labor Legal Affairs Bureau. This law enhances access to legal support during arbitration proceedings.

Veterans' Hiring Preference (Act No. 26-2025)

Employers must now:

Prioritize veterans in hiring and promotion for all job categories, including full-time, part-time, temporary, and fixed-term roles.
Notify Puerto Rico’s Veterans Advocate Office of all competitive job openings in these categories.

Action for Employers: Review your arbitration policies and hiring processes if your company operates in Puerto Rico or employs residents of the territory.

5. Federal Trends to Watch: DOL Proposed Rule Changes

The U.S. Department of Labor has proposed repealing or revising over 60 workplace rules considered outdated or burdensome. While these proposals are still under public comment and not yet finalized, they reflect potential shifts in national labor policy.

Key Areas of Focus:

Reversing protections for certain home health workers and workers with disabilities under minimum wage and overtime regulations
Rolling back recent safety and retaliation protections for H-2A visa agricultural workers
Limiting OSHA’s ability to cite employers for injuries or deaths during activities deemed inherently dangerous (such as film production or sports)

Full summary from Employers Council

Action for Employers: If you work in highly regulated industries or staff positions in healthcare, agriculture, or entertainment, keep an eye on these proposals. The final rules could impact wage practices and safety compliance standards.

Need Help Navigating Compliance?

At Marvel HR, we translate legal developments into practical policies and procedures. Whether you're posting jobs in multiple jurisdictions or updating your employee handbook, we can help ensure compliance with confidence.

Contact us to review your practices and build a compliant, future-ready HR strategy.

This article was written by our team with AI assistance for added insights.