Alaska's minimum wage will increase to $11.73 per hour, effective January 1, 2024, from the current minimum wage of $10.85 per hour. This represents an increase of $0.88, or approximately 8.1%. Minimum salaries for certain exempt employees will also rise on January 1, 2024.

Colorado's state minimum wage will increase to $14.42 per hour beginning January 1, 2024. However, Colorado employers should be aware that municipalities within Colorado will also be increasing their minimum wage above the state's minimum wage.

Multiple new laws will take effect in Washington state beginning January 2024, bringing changes to the state's minimum wage laws and adding requirements under the state's Paid Sick Leave Law.

The National Labor Relations Board and Occupational Safety and Health Administration executed a Memorandum of Understanding on October 31, 2023, that will help facilitate interagency coordination and cooperation. The goal of this partnership is to strengthen health and safety protections for workers.

The city of Chicago approved the Chicago Paid Leave and Paid Sick and Safe Leave Ordinance on November 9, 2023, providing all employees working in the city with up to five annual days of paid leave that can be used for any purpose and five annual days of paid sick leave that can be used for specified purposes.

The Arizona Court of Appeals recently held in Papias v. Parker Fasteners LLC that a discharged employee could proceed with his retaliation claim against his former employer. The employee alleged that he had been terminated when he attempted to use earned paid sick time under Arizona's Fair Wage and Healthy Family Act.

Recently, in Matthews v. City of Tempe, 2023 WL 6880652, the Arizona Federal District Court considered whether an employer discriminated against a former employee when it denied him an opportunity to telecommute on certain days but allowed female employees to take advantage of remote work.

Connecticut Paid Sick and Safe Leave was expanded to add two additional permitted uses, effective October 1, 2023. Connecticut Paid Sick and Safe Leave originally went into effect in 2012. The law allows covered employees to accrue one hour of paid sick and safe leave for every 40 hours worked and accrue up to 40 hours per year.

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law SB 525, which provides a tiered approach for minimum wages for the state's healthcare workers. The law sets forth detailed descriptions of which types of healthcare facilities are covered and which employees are covered by the law.

On October 4, 2023, Governor Gavin Newsom announced that he signed SB 616, which expands the state law with respect to paid sick leave.

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law AB 1228, which requires that fast-food workers who work at a national fast food chain (defined as a limited-service restaurant consisting of more than 60 establishments nationally) be paid a minimum of $20 per hour, effective April 1, 2024.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul recently signed the Wage Theft Accountability Act (WTPA) into law, which was effective immediately. The law amends New York's criminal larceny statute to include "wage theft" in its definition of "larceny." NY CLS Penal § 155.05(2)(f).

The California Industrial Welfare Commission (IWC) was established to regulate wages, hours, and working conditions in California. Importantly, the IWC adopted "wage orders," which establish specific rules for various industries. California has not funded the IWC since 2004, and it has not been in operation. This is likely to change.

Governor J.B. Pritzker signed into law HB 3129, an amendment to the Illinois Equal Pay Act that changes how employers can advertise for position openings in Illinois, on August 11, 2023. The amendment goes into effect January 1, 2025, and requires all employers with 15 or more employees to provide pay scale and benefits information in all open job postings.

In August 2023, the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona joined "the growing number of courts that have concluded" that judicial approval of Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) settlements "is neither authorized or necessary." In Evans v.