Are you legally allowed to make your employees work on a holiday? According to Massachusetts law, if an employer requires an employee to work in any mill or factory on any legal holiday, except to perform work that is absolutely necessary and can lawfully be performed on Sunday, it can lead to a fine of up to $1,500.
Retail stores and shops, however aren’t quite as strict. All stores and shops that sell goods at retail may open on Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, and Labor Day. However, they may not open on Christmas Day if it happens to fall on a Sunday.
So, the retail stores may open, but who can work? People may work on these days if their performance of labor, business, or work is directly connected to retail sales on these days. On these holidays, retail stores may sell all types of goods and foodstuffs that may lawfully be offered for sale in Massachusetts.
But what holidays are “legal holidays?” Legal holidays in Massachusetts include: January 1st, July 4th, November 11th, and Christmas Day. If any of these days occur on a Sunday, the following day shall be considered a “legal holiday.” Other legal holidays include the third Monday in January, the third Monday in February, the third Monday in April, the last Monday in May, the first Monday in September, the second Monday in October, and Thanksgiving Day.
But wait just a moment, if you work in Suffolk County, Evacuation Day on March 17th and Bunker Hill Day on June 17th (or the day following, when either fall on a Sunday) are also considered legal holidays.
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