The Maryland General Assembly recently passed Senate Bill 853 making construction general contractors jointly and severally liable for the failure of their subcontractors to pay their employees in accordance with Maryland’s wage and hour law. The new law will go into effect on October 1, 2018. Under this new law if construction subcontractors do not properly pay their employees, both subcontractors and their general contractors may be liable to the employee or employees for up to three times the owed wages and attorneys’ fees. In the past, this law only applied to the employer’s (subcontractor’s) direct employees, but will now expand liability to include general contractors on construction services projects. Construction services under the new law is broadly defined to include, “building, reconstructing, improving, enlarging, painting, altering, and repairing” in relation to property. Under this new law, general contractors are liable for any wage and hour violations committed by subcontractors, sub-subcontractors, and so on, that they may hire for a project. To learn more about what general contractors can do to protect themselves from these liabilities, listen to this week’s Telebrief here.

Also in this week’s Telebrief: how to legally conduct workplace investigations of sexual harassment claims.

Questions about ­­this new law, subcontractors, or other topics from this week’s Telebrief?

Contact Howard at hkurman@offitkurman.com or 410-209-6417

About the Telebriefs®

The Telebriefs^® are 30-minute, information-packed phone calls geared towards executives, HR directors, supervisors, managers, and business owners. Join Howard K. Kurman, as he discusses employment law developments occurring over the past two weeks that will most significantly impact employers nationwide. These twice-monthly phone calls are an easy way to stay current and compliant with the latest employment law developments that will significantly affect you and your company. The goal is to provide information and insights to help executives stay current with the latest workplace law developments and in front of trends, to enable proactive policy-making and management. Our guarantee: You will learn something useful on every call!

ABOUT THE PRESENTER

hkurman@offitkurman.com | 410-209-6417

Howard K. Kurman is an employment attorney. Mr. Kurman regularly counsels clients on all aspects of proactive employment/labor issues. He represents employers ranging in size from as small as 20 employees to those employers with geographically disparate locations consisting of over 4,000 employees. Mr. Kurman assures, through regular contact with his clients, that they promulgate and maintain the most effective employment policies that will, to the extent possible, minimize their legal exposure in today’s litigious workplace. Mr. Kurman offers advice on employee handbooks, employment agreements, and covenants not to compete as well as confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements. Previously, Mr. Kurman was the chair of the firm’s Labor & Employment Practice Group.

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