Title 28, Title 28 and Labor Relations

Any group consisting exclusively of employers may adopt a plan for group self-insurance, as a group, for the payment of compensation under this chapter to their employees. Under that plan, the group shall assume the liability of all the employers within the group and pay all comp…

An employer participating in group self-insurance shall not be relieved from the liability for compensation prescribed by chapters 29 — 38 of this title except by the payment of the compensation by the group self-insurer or by itself. As between the employee and the group self-in…

Each group self-insurer, in its application for group self-insurance, shall set forth the names and addresses of each of its officers, directors, trustees, and general manager. Notice of any change in the officers, directors, trustees, or general manager shall be given to the dir…

If for any reason, the status of a group self-insurer under this chapter is terminated, the surety bond on deposit, trust fund, or other security referred to in § 28-47-2 shall remain in the custody of the director for a period of at least twenty-six (26) months. At the expiratio…

The director shall promulgate the rules and regulations that may be required to carry out the provisions of this chapter, including, without limitation, rules and regulations pertaining to contracts of group insurance and excess group insurance with retentions and limits to be pr…

(a) The director shall administer all matters relating to group self-insurance under this chapter. (b) The director shall assign each group self-insurer, qualified under this chapter to one of the following groups: (1) Manufacturing and trade; (2) Transportation, public utilities…

(a) To advise the director, there shall be an advisory committee for group self-insurance, which shall consist of seven (7) members appointed by the governor: (1) One of those members shall be named from the manufacturing and trade group of group self-insurance; (2) Two (2) from …

The director annually, as soon as practicable after April 1 in each succeeding year, shall ascertain the total amount of expenses, including in addition to the direct costs of personal services, the cost of maintenance and operation; the cost of retirement contributions made and …

As used in this chapter, the following words and terms have the following meanings: (1) “Director” means the director of the department of labor and training. (2) “Employee” means any full-time employee who works an average of thirty (30) or more hours per week. (3) “Employer” me…

(a) Each employer shall post and keep posted, in conspicuous places upon its premises where notices to employees and applicants for employment are customarily posted, a notice, to be approved by the agency, setting forth excerpts from, or summaries of, the pertinent provisions of…

Any employer who or that allows sick time or sick leave of an employee to be utilized after the birth of a child shall allow the same time to be used for the placement of a child sixteen (16) years of age or less with an employee in connection with the adoption of the child by th…

(a) An employee who has been employed by the same employer for twelve (12) consecutive months shall be entitled to a total of ten (10) hours of leave during any twelve-month (12) period to attend school conferences or other school-related activities for a child of whom the employ…

(a) Every employee who has been employed by the same employer for twelve (12) consecutive months shall be entitled, upon advance notice to his or her employer, to thirteen (13) consecutive workweeks of parental leave or family leave in any two (2) calendar years. The employee sha…

(a) Every employee who exercises his or her right to parental leave or family leave under this chapter shall, upon the expiration of that leave, be entitled to be restored by the employer to the position held by the employee when the leave commenced, or to a position with equival…

(a) The taking of parental leave or family leave pursuant to this chapter shall not result in the loss of any benefit accrued before the date on which the leave commenced. (b) Except as provided in § 28-48-3(b), nothing in this chapter shall be construed to entitle any employee w…

(a) It shall be unlawful for any employer to interfere with, restrain, or deny the exercise of or the attempt to exercise any right provided by this chapter. (b) It shall be unlawful for any employer to discharge, fine, suspend, expel, discipline, or in any other manner discrimin…

A civil action may be brought in the superior court by an employee or by the director against any employer to enforce the provisions of this title or of any order issued by the director pursuant to § 28-48-7. The court may enjoin any act or practice that violates or may violate a…

If, after giving an employer written notice and an opportunity to be heard, the director finds that the employer has failed to comply with any provision of this chapter, the director may issue the orders that he or she deems necessary to protect the rights of any employee. The di…

Any employer who or that violates any provision of this chapter or of any order issued pursuant to § 28-48-7 shall be subject to a civil penalty of not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000). In the case of a continuing violation, each day’s continuance shall be deemed a separat…

If any provision of this chapter or its application to any person or circumstance is held to be invalid by any court of competent jurisdiction, that invalidity shall not affect other provisions or applications of this chapter that can be given effect without the invalid provision…

This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the “Rhode Island Disaster Service Volunteer Leave Act.”

As used in this chapter, the following words and terms have the following meanings: (1) “Disaster” means a fire, flood, hurricane, blizzard, tornado, or other such occurrence where the victims cannot recover without assistance. Applicable disasters would be those designated at le…

(a) Any state employee who is a certified disaster volunteer of the American Red Cross may be granted leave work with pay for not more than ten (10) working days each calendar year to participate in specialized disaster relief service for the American Red Cross, upon the request …

This chapter may be cited as the “Rhode Island Whistleblowers’ Protection Act.”

As used in this chapter: (1) “Employee” means a person employed by any employer, and shall include, but not be limited to: at-will employees, contract employees, applicants, prospective employees, and independent contractors. (2) “Employer” means any person, partnership, associat…

An employer shall not discharge, threaten, or otherwise discriminate against an employee regarding the employee’s compensation, terms, conditions, location, or privileges of employment nor shall an employer report or threaten to report an employee’s immigration status to Immigrat…

(a) A person who alleges a violation of this chapter may bring a civil action for appropriate injunctive relief, or treble damages, or both within three (3) years after the occurrence of the alleged violation of this chapter. (b) An action commenced pursuant to subsection (a) may…

A court, in rendering a judgment in an action brought under this chapter, shall order, as the court considers appropriate, reinstatement of the employee; the payment of back wages; full reinstatement of fringe benefits and seniority rights; actual damages; or any combination of t…

This chapter shall not be construed to diminish or impair the rights of a person under any collective bargaining agreement.

This chapter shall not be construed to require an employer to compensate an employee for participation in an investigation, hearing, or inquiry held by a public body in accordance with § 28-50-3.

An employer shall post notices and use other appropriate means to keep the employer’s employees informed of their protections and obligations under this chapter, including posting in prominent locations in all languages known to be spoken by employees.

If any provision of this chapter or its application to any person or circumstances is held invalid or unconstitutional, the invalidity or unconstitutionality shall not affect other provisions or applications of this chapter which can be given effect without the invalid or unconst…

(a)(1) Equal opportunity and affirmative action toward its achievement is the policy of all units of Rhode Island state government, including all public and quasi-public agencies, commissions, boards, and authorities, and in the classified, unclassified, and nonclassified service…

The division of purchases shall prepare any rules, regulations, and compliance reports that shall require of state contractors the same commitment to equal opportunity as prevails under federal contracts controlled by federal executive orders 11246, 11625 and 11375. Affirmative a…

The attorney general, the department of corrections, and the Rhode Island justice commission shall stress to state and local law enforcement officials the necessity for nondiscrimination in the control of criminal behavior. These agencies shall develop and publish formal procedur…

The state equal opportunity office shall review the equal opportunity activity of all private healthcare facilities licensed or chartered by the state, including hospitals, nursing homes, convalescent homes, rest homes, and clinics. These state-licensed or -chartered facilities s…

The state equal opportunity office shall review all private educational institutions licensed or chartered by the state, including professional, business, and vocational training schools. These state-licensed or -chartered institutions shall at the request of the council on eleme…

(a) As used in this section: (1) “License” means and includes the whole or part of any agency permit, certificate, approval, or similar form of permission required by law, but it does not include a motor vehicle operator’s license as required in chapter 10 of title 31. (2) “Licen…

State agencies disbursing financial assistance, including, but not limited to, loans and grants, shall require recipient organizations and agencies to undertake affirmative action programs designed to eliminate patterns and practices of discrimination. At the request of the state…

All executive orders shall, to the extent that they are not inconsistent with this chapter, remain in full force and effect.

(a)(1) The personnel administrator, in consultation with the equal employment opportunity administrator, and the human resources outreach and diversity administrator within the department of administration, shall annually conduct a utilization analysis of positions within state g…

(a) There shall be a state equal opportunity office. This office, under the direct administrative supervision of the office of diversity, equity and opportunity, shall report to the governor and to the general assembly on state equal opportunity programs. The state equal opportun…

(a) The state equal opportunity office shall assign an equal opportunity officer as a liaison to agencies of state government. (b) Each state department or agency, excluding the legislative branch of state government, shall annually prepare an affirmative action plan. These plans…

(a) The general assembly finds that, as a matter of public policy, the effectiveness of each appointed state board, commission, and the governing body of each public authority and quasi-public corporation is enhanced when it reflects the diversity, including the racial and gender…

(a) The state equal opportunity administrator is authorized to initiate complaints against any agencies, administrators, or employees of any department or division within state government, excluding the legislative branch, who or that willfully fail to comply with the requirement…

(a) Each appointing authority shall review the recruitment, appointment, assignment, upgrading, and promotion policies and activities for state employees without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, or disa…