News
Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane, LLP Partner Presents Annual Labor Law Update
Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane, LLP Partner, Michael Maccaro, presented the Annual Labor Law Update for the Massachusetts Municipal Association (MMA) earlier this month. The MMA made a last minute decision to cancel their annual conference, which takes place every January, due to the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the state. However, they were able to quickly coordinate with speakers to conduct their presentations virtually. Mr. Maccaro’s presentation provided an overview of selected case law developments, including decisions from the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, the Massachusetts Appeals Court, the Massachusetts Superior Court and the First Circuit Court of Appeals. Additionally, he discussed the current Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD) statistics and the impact from COVID-19, as well as selected decisions from the MCAD. Lastly, Mr. Maccaro gave an overview of recent and pending legislation, such as the Emergency COVID-19 Paid Sick Leave, Juneteenth, MA Paid Family and Medical Leave Act (PFML), the Massachusetts Police Reform and OSHA.
Michael Maccaro’s practice is focused on the areas of labor and employment in the public and private sector, litigation, and employee benefits. Prior to joining Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane, LLP, Mr. Maccaro served as Associate General Counsel for a large public sector labor union. He has litigated numerous matters, negotiated hundreds of contracts and has argued before various state courts, appellate courts, and administrative agencies throughout New England. Mr. Maccaro has served as an Adjunct Professor at the Massachusetts School of Law where he has taught legal writing and appellate advocacy. He is the 2019 recipient of the Cushing-Gavin Award for excellence in providing management labor relations legal counsel. Attorney Maccaro is also involved with training new lawyers on arbitration best practices. He graduated from Bates College in 1996 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Chemistry and received his Juris Doctor in 2004 from Northeastern University School of Law.
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION ISSUES REVISED TITLE IX REGULATIONS
On April 19, 2024, the United States Department of Education (“DOE”) issued final regulations for Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (“Title IX”). Title IX prohibits discrimination based on sex in education programs or activities receiving federal financial assistance. The new regulations go into effect on August 1, 2024, so school districts are encouraged to review their policies and procedures and provide staff training on these new regulations as soon as possible. The final regulations continue to list specific elements that must be included in any policy, such as range of disciplinary actions, standards of evidence, and procedures. The DOE has provided template policies here: https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/resource-nondiscrimination-policies.pdf and Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane will be creating model policies and notice letters as well.
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION ISSUES REVISED TITLE IX REGULATIONS
On April 19, 2024, the United States Department of Education (“DOE”) issued final regulations for Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (“Title IX”). Title IX prohibits discrimination based on sex in education programs or activities receiving federal financial assistance. The new regulations go into effect on August 1, 2024, so school districts are encouraged to review their policies and procedures and provide staff training on these new regulations as soon as possible. The final regulations continue to list specific elements that must be included in any policy, such as range of disciplinary actions, standards of evidence, and procedures. The DOE has provided template policies here: https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/resource-nondiscrimination-policies.pdf and Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane will be creating model policies and notice letters as well.
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