United States: Contract of Employment

State legislatures across the United States remain active throughout the year, with significant labor and employment laws taking effect between July 1 and October 1, 2026. Virginia leads with the most new legislation, addressing pay transparency, child labor, non-compete agreements, workplace violence, and background checks, while multiple states introduce regulations on employee screening, service animal definitions, and Transportation Network Company driver relationships.

Congress is advancing legislation that could fundamentally reshape private-sector labor relations by imposing strict timelines on collective bargaining and introducing binding arbitration for initial union contracts. Meanwhile, the National Labor Relations Board moves closer to a Republican majority that may reverse recent pro-union precedents.

As the 2026 FIFA World Cup approaches with matches spanning U.S. cities from coast to coast, employers face unprecedented workplace challenges from massive fan influxes and transportation disruptions.

The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) operates differently from typical HR policies and leave laws, creating unique compliance challenges for employers.

On Monday, June 8, 2026, a federal judge in Massachusetts invalidated the $100,000 fee for new H-1B visas,1 determining that President Trump lacked the authority to impose a tax on this visa program for highly skilled...

Beginning January 1, 2027, Connecticut homemaker-companion agencies will be required to provide at least eight hours of paid training to new and current employees from a list of training programs approved...

A Texas Business Court ruling examines when oral conduct can override written contractual requirements, particularly focusing on nonwaiver clauses and the interpretation of undefined contract terms like 'books and records.

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed three bills in 2025 that significantly expanded the Illinois Prevailing Wage Act, introducing new worker protections and stricter penalties for contractors.

As of June 1, Illinois employers with 16 or more employees must provide unpaid, job-protected leave to employees whose child is a patient in a neonatal intensive care unit (“NICU”).