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The 193rd General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Section 13: Legal holidays; application of Secs. 5 to 11; exceptions

Section 13. The provisions of sections five to eleven, inclusive, shall, except as provided in section fourteen, apply to all legal holidays, except January first, the third Monday in January, the third Monday in February, March seventeenth, the third Monday in April, May twentieth, June seventeenth, June nineteenth, the second Monday in October after the hour of twelve noon, and November eleventh after one o'clock post meridian, or on the day following when any of said days occur on Sunday.

[Second paragraph effective until January 1, 2023. For text effective January 1, 2023, see below.]

Any retail establishment that operates on January first, November eleventh or the second Monday in October, under the exemption granted by this section, shall compensate employees working on any of said days at a rate specified under clause (50) of section 6 or such larger sum as may be determined by contract; provided, however, that such work shall be voluntary and refusal to work for any retail establishment on such legal holidays shall not be grounds for discrimination, dismissal, discharge, reduction in hours or any other penalty. The provisions of this paragraph shall be enforced by the attorney general. The provisions of section one hundred and eighty A of chapter one hundred and forty-nine shall apply to any violation of this paragraph.

[Second paragraph as amended by 2020, 358, Sec. 75 effective January 1, 2023. See 2020, 358, Sec. 111. For text effective until January 1, 2023, see above.]

Any retail establishment that operates on January first, November eleventh or the second Monday in October, under the exemption granted by this section, shall not require any employee to perform such work and an employee's refusal to work for any retail establishment on such legal holidays shall not be grounds for discrimination, dismissal, discharge, reduction in hours or any other penalty. The provisions of this paragraph shall be enforced by the attorney general. The provisions of section one hundred and eighty A of chapter one hundred and forty-nine shall apply to any violation of this paragraph.