Earlier this month, Offit Kurman partnered with the Greater Philadelphia Hotel Association (GPHA) to present an educational session session at the Sonesta Philadelphia to offer guidance on Philadelphia’s recently enacted Fair Workweek Ordinance. Offit Kurman attorney Katharine Batista covered the application of the law and best practices, and answered questions from GPHA members and other attendees.
On December 6, 2018, Philadelphia City Council passed the Fair Workweek Employment Standards Ordinance, which requires covered retail, hotel, and food service businesses in Philadelphia to follow specific requirements when scheduling and modifying employees’ work hours.
The ordinance requires employers to provide newly hired employees with an advance, written estimate of their work schedule; consider employee work schedule requests; and compensate employees for last-minute, employer-initiated schedule changes. The law also mandates that employers include prompt notifications to employees of any proposed changes to posted work schedules, offer work to existing employees first, provide specific rest periods between shifts, and post associated notices. The law will go into effect on January 1, 2020.
Regulations for the ordinance are due to be finalized for public comment this fall. As the regulations develop, please look for updates from Ms. Batista on their final form and how they affect interpretation of the ordinance.
Ms. Batista is a Labor & Employment attorney who assists and vigorously defends her clients in a variety of workplace issues, including hiring and termination, disability and medical leave, use of social media, drug testing, internal complaints, overtime and classification issues, union disputes, non-competition agreements, and more. She represents businesses, such as restaurants, hotels, banks, retailers and health care providers, in the spectrum of employment and labor claims. Specifically, Ms. Batista successfully defends employers against claims of discrimination and harassment, retaliation, wrongful terminations, and wage and hour violations. An employee’s post-separation conduct often requires legal advice and action too. Ms. Batista commonly represents her clients in bringing actions for breach of restrictive covenants and contractual interference, as well as defends them against such claims. In light of the ever-changing nature of employment and labor law, Ms. Batista affords her clients the security they need to effectively manage their employees, so they can focus on their business.
In addition, Ms. Batista drafts and revises employment agreements, personnel policies, communications, and internal trainings. She also regularly presents and trains on topics such as employment law basics, managing sick and injured employees, sexual harassment, internal investigations, Department of Labor audits, legislative and regulatory changes, and emerging employment law trends.
Ms. Batista serves on the Board of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Chapter of the Society of Human Resources Management, where she plans the programming and presents on employment law topics. From 2017-2019, Ms. Batista has been selected by Super Lawyers to the Pennsylvania Rising Stars lists.
To learn more about Offit Kurman’s Labor and Employment Law Practice, click here. To contact Katharine Batista, please visit her attorney page. Information about upcoming events featuring by Offit Kurman’s attorneys can be found at offitkurman.com/events.
ABOUT KATHARINE BATISTA
kbatista@offitkurman.com | 267.338.1319 | Bloomberg Profile
Ms. Batista is a Labor & Employment attorney that assists her clients when deciding issues like: If my employee has exhausted her FMLA leave and remains out, am I required to hold her position open? Can I terminate my employee for testing positive for marijuana? Will this non-compete agreement be enforced? She helps her clients answer these and similar questions, and vigorously defends their decisions. She represents businesses, such as restaurants, hotels, banks, retailers and health care providers, in the spectrum of employment and labor claims. Specifically, Ms. Batista successfully defends employers against claims of discrimination and harassment, retaliation, wrongful terminations and wage and hour violations. An employee’s post-separation conduct often requires legal advice and action too. Ms. Batista commonly represents her clients in bringing actions for breach of restrictive covenants and contractual interference, as well as defends them against such claims. Employment and labor law is ever changing. Employers need to feel secure in how they manage their employees so they can focus on their business.
ABOUT OFFIT KURMAN
Offit Kurman is one of the fastest-growing full-service law firms in the United States. With over 200 attorneys in 14 offices that stretch from New York to North Carolina, we represent privately-held companies and families of wealth throughout their business life cycles. Our mission is to provide our clients with “The Better Way” to grow their organizations, protect their businesses’ and families’ wealth, and resolve their most challenging legal conflicts. In addition to our quality of attorneys and breadth of legal services, Offit Kurman is distinguished by our unique operational structure, which encourages collaboration rather than internal competition. The same approach that makes our firm attractive to legal practitioners gives clients unlimited access to experienced counsel in every area of the law. Trust, Knowledge, Confidence—in a partner, that’s perfect.
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