(a) No employer in this State shall knowingly pay any warrant or order due any person for borrowed money where more than the lawful rate of interest has been received or charged for the money borrowed.

(b) Any employer, whether an individual, member of a firm, agent or officer of a corporation, who shall knowingly violate this section shall be subject to a civil penalty of not less than $1,000 nor more than $5,000 for each violation. A civil penalty claim may be filed in any court of competent jurisdiction.

25 Del. Laws, c. 233, §§  1-3;  Code 1915, §  4129;  Code 1935, §  4617;  19 Del. C. 1953, §  702;  57 Del. Laws, c. 137;  67 Del. Laws, c. 260, §  1;  69 Del. Laws, c. 294, §  4; 

(a) Every corporation or joint stock association operating a steam, electric or diesel surface railroad or engaged in the sleeping car business and every person carrying on such a business, by lease or otherwise, shall pay to each employee every 2 weeks the wages earned to a day not more than 14 days prior to the date of such payment. This section shall not apply to any person employed in a bona fide executive, administrative or professional capacity.

(b) Every corporation or joint stock association or person carrying on such a business by lease or otherwise who knowingly does not pay the wages of all its or that person’s employees in accordance with this section, and the officers of such corporation or joint stock association who knowingly permit a corporation or joint stock association to violate this section by failing to pay the wages of any of its employees, shall be subject to a civil penalty of not less than $1,000 nor more than $5,000 for each violation. A civil penalty claim may be filed in any court of competent jurisdiction.

19 Del. C. 1953, §  703;  52 Del. Laws, c. 107;  67 Del. Laws, c. 260, §  1;  69 Del. Laws, c. 294, §  5;  70 Del. Laws, c. 186, §  1; 

(a) It shall be unlawful for any person, firm or corporation, not directly involved in a labor strike or lockout, to recruit any person or persons for employment or to secure or offer to secure for any person or persons any employment, when the purpose of such recruiting, securing or offering to secure employment is to have such persons take the place in employment of employees in an industry where a labor strike or a lockout involving a recognized labor organization exists; provided, that this section shall not apply to the Delaware State Employment Service or the United States Employment Service or to any person, firm or corporation engaged in the production, handling or the processing of agricultural commodities.

(b) Whoever violates this section shall be subject to a civil penalty of not less than $1,000 nor more than $5,000 for each violation. A civil penalty claim may be filed in any court of competent jurisdiction.

(c) No person, firm or corporation recruiting persons for employment shall be subject to the penalties imposed by this section, unless the labor organization involved in said labor strike or lockout gives actual notice to said person, firm or corporation of the existence of said labor strike or lockout.

19 Del. C. 1953, §  704;  53 Del. Laws, c. 78;  67 Del. Laws, c. 260, §  1;  69 Del. Laws, c. 294, §  6; 

(a) As used in this section, “person” includes any individual, corporation, partnership, firm, association and the State or any agency or political subdivision thereof, except as noted in subsection (d) of this section.

(b) No person, nor any agent or representative of a person, shall require, request or suggest that any employee or prospective employee take or shall cause, directly or indirectly, any employee or prospective employee to take a polygraph, lie detector or similar test or examination as a condition of employment or continuation of employment.

(c) Whoever violates this section shall be subject to a civil penalty of not less than $1,000 nor more than $5,000 for each violation. A civil penalty claim may be filed in any court of competent jurisdiction.

(d) This section shall not apply to any polygraph, lie detector or similar test or examination administered by any law-enforcement agency in the performance of official duties which shall include police officer applicant background investigations.

(e) As used in this section, the term “lie detector” shall include, but shall not be limited to, any electromechanical device which records or analyzes vocally produced sound frequency variations associated with stress for the purpose of determining the truth of any oral statement.

(f) Any employer who discharges or in any manner discriminates against an employee because that employee has made a complaint or has given information to the department pursuant to this section, or because the employee has caused to be instituted or is about to cause to be instituted any proceedings under this section, or has testified or is about to testify in any such proceedings, shall be deemed in violation of this section and shall be subject to a civil penalty of not less than $1,000 nor more than $5,000 for each violation.

19 Del. C. 1953, §  705;  55 Del. Laws, c. 357;  62 Del. Laws, c. 95, §  1;  66 Del. Laws, c. 107, §§  1, 2;  67 Del. Laws, c. 260, §  1;  69 Del. Laws, c. 294, §  7;  70 Del. Laws, c. 186, §  1;  70 Del. Laws, c. 460, §  1; 

(a) As used in this section, “employer” includes any individual, corporation, partnership, firm or association with a place of business in Delaware and the State of Delaware or any agency or political subdivision thereof.

(b) No employer, nor any agent or any representative of any employer, shall monitor or otherwise intercept any telephone conversation or transmission, electronic mail or transmission, or Internet access or usage of or by a Delaware employee unless the employer either:

(1) Provides an electronic notice of such monitoring or intercepting policies or activities to the employee at least once during each day the employee accesses the employer-provided e-mail or Internet access services; or

(2) Has first given a 1-time notice to the employee of such monitoring or intercepting activity or policies. The notice required by this paragraph shall be in writing, in an electronic record, or in another electronic form and acknowledged by the employee either in writing or electronically.

The notice required by this subsection shall not apply to activities of any law-enforcement officer acting under the order of a court issued pursuant to Chapter 24 of Title 11.

(c) Whoever violates this section shall be subject to a civil penalty of $100 for each such violation. A civil penalty claim may be filed in any court of competent jurisdiction.

(d) The provisions of this section shall not be deemed to be an exclusive remedy and shall not otherwise limit or bar any person from pursuing any other remedies available under any other law, state or federal statute, or the common law. The violations of this section by an employer shall not be admitted into evidence for the purpose of, or used as, a defense to criminal liability of any person in any Court in this State.

(e) The provisions of this section shall not apply to processes that are designed to manage the type or volume of incoming or outgoing electronic mail or telephone voice mail or Internet usage, that are not targeted to monitor or intercept the electronic mail or telephone voice mail or Internet usage of a particular individual, and that are performed solely for the purpose of computer system maintenance and/or protection.

73 Del. Laws, c. 148, §  1;  73 Del. Laws, c. 403, §§  1, 2; 

(a) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Code, no merger, consolidation, sale of assets or business combination shall result in the termination or impairment of the provisions of any labor contract covering persons engaged in employment in this State and negotiated by a labor organization or by a collective bargaining agent or other representative. Notwithstanding such merger, consolidation, sale of assets or business combination, such labor contract shall continue in effect until its termination date or until otherwise agreed by the parties to such contract or their legal successors.

(b) For purposes of this section:

(1) “Business combination” includes any merger, consolidation, joint venture, lease, sale, dividend exchange, mortgage, pledge, transfer or other disposition (in 1 transaction or a series of transactions) whether with a subsidiary or otherwise; and

(2) “Employment” shall have the meaning set forth in § 3302(14)(H) and (I) of this title.

(c) In the event that any such employee is denied or fails to receive wages, benefits or wage supplements as a result of a violation of this section, and in addition to injunctive or other relief provided by law, the provisions of Chapter 11 of this title shall be applicable to secure recovery against the merged or consolidated corporation or the resulting corporation, notwithstanding anything contained therein or elsewhere to the contrary. The remedies provided for herein shall be available against any of the parties to such merger, consolidation, sale of assets or business combination.

66 Del. Laws, c. 220, §  1;  84 Del. Laws, c. 365, § 1; 

(a) An employer must allow an employee an unpaid meal break of at least 30 consecutive minutes, if the employee works 71/2 or more consecutive hours. The meal break must be given some time after the first 2 hours of work and before the last 2 hours. However, this rule does not apply to any professional employee certified by the State Board of Education and employed by a local school board to work directly with children. Also, it does not apply where there is a collective bargaining agreement or other written employer-employee agreement providing otherwise. Further, the Secretary of Labor shall issue rules for granting exemptions in cases where:

(1) Compliance would adversely affect public safety;

(2) Only 1 employee may perform the duties of a position;

(3) An employer has fewer than 5 employees on a shift at a single place of business (in which case the exemption applies only to that shift); or

(4) The continuous nature of an employer’s operations, such as chemical production or research experiments, requires employees to respond to urgent or unusual conditions at all times and the employees are compensated for their meal break periods.

(b) Any employer who discharges or in any manner discriminates against an employee because that employee has made a complaint or has given information to the Department of Labor pursuant to a violation of this section, or because the employee caused to be instituted or is about to cause to be instituted any proceedings under this section, or has testified or is about to testify in any such proceedings shall be deemed in violation of this section.

(c) Whoever violates this section shall be subject to a civil penalty of not less than $1,000 nor more than $5,000 for each violation. Jurisdiction of violations of this subchapter shall be in any court of competent jurisdiction.

68 Del. Laws, c. 357, §  1;  69 Del. Laws, c. 294, §§  8, 9;  70 Del. Laws, c. 186, §  1; 

(a) Definitions. — (1) “Child care facility” means any child care facility which is required to be licensed by the Department of Education, Office of Child Care Licensing.

(2) “Direct access” means the opportunity to have personal contact with persons receiving care during the course of one’s assigned duties.

(3) “Health care facility” means any custodial or residential facility where health, nutritional or personal care is provided for persons, including long-term care facilities as defined in § 1102 of Title 16, hospitals, home health care agencies, and adult day care facilities.

(4) “Person seeking employment” means any person applying for employment in a health care facility or child care facility that affords direct access to persons receiving care at such a facility, or a person applying for licensure to operate a child care facility.

(b) Service letter. — (1) No employer who operates a health-care facility or child-care facility, or provides health, nutritional, or personal care in such a facility, shall hire any person seeking employment without obtaining 1 or more service letters regarding that person, provided such person has been previously employed. The service letter(s) obtained must include a service letter from the person’s current or most recent previous employer. In addition, if a person seeking employment was employed in a health-care facility or child-care facility within the past 5 years, the employer shall also obtain a service letter from such employer(s). If the person seeking employment has not been previously employed, or was self-employed, then the employer must require the person to provide letters of reference from 2 adults who are familiar with the person, but who are not relatives of the person.

(2) For purposes of this subsection, the required “service letter” must be a form provided by the Department of Labor. The form must be signed by the current or previous employer and must contain information about the type of work performed by the employee, the duration of the employment, the nature of the employee’s separation from employment and any reasonably substantiated incidents involving violence, threat of violence, abuse, or neglect, by the person seeking employment toward any other person, including any disciplinary action taken as a result of such conduct. In addition to these requirements, service letters for child-care facility employment must do all of the following:

a. Ask a previous employer if they have any concerns about the employee working with children.

b. Ask a previous employer if the employee was warned, reprimanded, suspended, or discharged for any violations found in the Department of Education’s Regulations for Early Care and Education and School-Age Centers [14 DE Admin. Code 933].

(3) Any employer who is required to obtain a service letter under this section shall obtain a statement signed by the person seeking employment wherein the person authorizes a full release for the employer to obtain any and all information pertaining to the facts of the person’s current or previous employment.

(4) Any employer who is required to obtain a service letter under this section shall obtain a statement signed by the person seeking employment wherein the person attests that the information given in the application represents a full and complete disclosure of the person’s current and previous employment and that all information contained in the employment application is true and complete to the best of the knowledge and belief of the person seeking employment. In addition, the application shall contain a written acknowledgment by the person that the person understands that failure to provide a full and complete disclosure of all information required under this section is a violation of paragraph (b)(9) of this section and that such failure shall result in civil penalties of not less than $1,000 nor more than $5,000 for such violation. Full and complete disclosure by a person seeking employment includes listing all current and previous employers contemplated in paragraph (b)(1) of this section. If the person seeking employment was employed by a temporary agency, the person shall list on the employment application the temporary agency and all employers for which the person did temporary work pursuant to such employment. Any employer who does not obtain such signed statements from such person shall be subject to a civil penalty of not less than $1,000 nor more than $5,000 for each violation.

(5) Any employer who receives a written request for a service letter from any other employer under this section shall provide that service letter. The service letter shall be provided within 10 business days from the date the request is received. Any employer who fails or refuses to provide such service letter, or who fails to make a full and complete disclosure of information, as required, shall be subject to a civil penalty of not less than $1,000 nor more than $5,000 for such violation.

(6) Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (b)(1) of this section, when exigent circumstances exist, and an employer covered under paragraph (b)(1) of this section must fill a position in order to maintain the required level of service, the employer may hire a person seeking employment on a conditional basis pending the receipt of the required service letter(s). The continued employment of such person pursuant to this subsection shall be contingent upon the receipt of the required service letter(s). In addition, the person hired pursuant to this subsection shall be informed, in writing, and shall acknowledge, in writing, that the person’s continued employment is contingent upon the receipt of the required service letter(s).

(7) An employer covered under paragraph (b)(1) of this section shall make a good faith attempt to locate the previous employer(s) identified in the employment application of the person seeking employment and to obtain the service letter(s) from each such employer. The burden of proof to demonstrate a good faith attempt shall rest with the employer. Any such employer who hires a person seeking employment without obtaining the required service letter(s) or who has not made a good faith attempt to obtain such service letter(s) shall be subject to a civil penalty of not less than $1,000 nor more than $5,000 for each violation.

(8) Any individual who falsifies such service letter or who fails to make a full and complete disclosure of all required information on the service letter shall be subject to a civil penalty of not less than $1,000 nor more than $5,000 for each violation.

(9) Any individual who fails to make a full and complete disclosure of past employment information on the employment application shall be subject to a civil penalty of not less than $1,000 nor more than $5,000 for each violation.

(10) An employer or any person acting on behalf of an employer who discloses information about a current or former employee pursuant to paragraph (b)(2) of this section is immune from civil liability for such disclosure and its consequences and may not be made the subject of any legal action for libel, slander, or defamation by the current or former employee. Further, notwithstanding any provisions to the contrary, no employer or person seeking employment who has made a good faith effort to comply with the requirements of this section shall be deemed to be liable for any violation of said provisions.

(11) The Department of Labor is the only party which can enforce a civil penalty under this section.

(12) If the Office of Child Care Licensing, as part of any investigation into a child-care facility, reasonably suspects or determines an employer failed to adhere to the requirements of a service letter under this section, the Office of Child Care Licensing shall notify and refer the report with any supporting evidence to the Department of Labor.

(c) Temporary agencies. — Any temporary agency responsible for providing temporary employees to a health care facility or child-care facility, when such employees qualify as “persons seeking employment” for purposes of paragraph (a)(4) of this section, is considered an employer and is responsible for complying with the requirements of this section.

71 Del. Laws, c. 200, §  1;  70 Del. Laws, c. 186, §  1;  81 Del. Laws, c. 207, § 6;  84 Del. Laws, c. 289, § 1;  84 Del. Laws, c. 461, § 1; 

(a) An employer or any person employed by the employer who discloses information about a current or former employee’s job performance to a prospective employer is presumed to be acting in good faith; and unless lack of good faith is shown, is immune from civil liability for such disclosure or its consequences. For purposes of this section, the presumption of good faith may be rebutted upon a showing that the information disclosed by such employer was knowingly false, was deliberately misleading or was rendered with malicious purpose; or that the information was disclosed in violation of a nondisclosure agreement, or was otherwise confidential according to applicable federal, state or local statute, rule or regulation.

(b) For purposes of this section, the word “information” includes:

(1) Information about an employee’s or former employee’s job performance or work-related characteristics;

(2) Any act committed by such employee which would constitute a violation of federal, state or local law; or

(3) An evaluation of the ability or lack of ability of such employee or former employee to accomplish or comply with the duties or standards of the position held by such employee or former employee.

70 Del. Laws, c. 367, §  1;  71 Del. Laws, c. 200, §  1; 

(a) For purposes of this section, the following definitions shall apply:

(1) “Applicant” means a prospective employee applying for employment.

(2) “Electronic communication device” means a cellular telephone, personal digital assistant, electronic device with mobile data access, laptop computer, pager, broadband personal communication device, 2-way messaging device, electronic game, or portable computing device.

(3) “Employee” means any individual employed within the State by an employer. This section does not apply to employees or applicants of the United States government in those capacities.

(4) “Employer” means any person or group of persons acting directly or indirectly in the interest of an employer in relation to an employee or applicant, including the State and any political subdivision or board, department, commission, or school district thereof, and excluding the United States government.

(5) “Personal social media” means an account on a social networking site created and operated by an employee or applicant exclusively for the employee or applicant’s personal use. “Personal social media” does not include an account on a social networking site created or operated by an employer and that is operated by an employee as part of their employment.

(6) “Social networking site” means an internet-based, personalized, privacy-protected website or application whether free or commercial that allows users to construct a private or semi-private profile site within a bounded system, create a list of other system users who are granted reciprocal access to the individual’s profile site, send and receive e-mail, and share personal content, communications, and contacts.

(b) An employer shall not require or request an employee or applicant to do any of the following:

(1) Disclose a username or password for the purpose of enabling the employer to access personal social media.

(2) Access personal social media in the presence of the employer.

(3) Use personal social media as a condition of employment.

(4) Divulge any personal social media, except as provided in subsection (d) of this section.

(5) Add a person, including the employer, to the list of contacts associated with the employee’s or applicant’s personal social media, or invite or accept an invitation from any person, including the employer, to join a group associated with the employee’s or applicant’s personal social media.

(6) Alter the settings on the employee’s or applicant’s personal social media that affect a third party’s ability to view the contents of the personal social media.

(c) Nothing in this section shall affect an employer’s rights and obligations under the employer’s personnel policies, federal or state law, case law, or other rules or regulations to require or request an employee to disclose a username, password, or social media reasonably believed to be relevant to an investigation of allegations of employee misconduct or employee violation of applicable laws and regulations, provided that the social media is used solely for purposes of that investigation or a related proceeding.

(d) Nothing in this section precludes an employer from requiring or requesting an employee to disclose a username, password, or other method for the purpose of accessing (i) an electronic communication device supplied by or paid for in whole or in part by the employer; or (ii) an account or service provided by the employer, obtained by virtue of the employee’s employment relationship with the employer, or used for the employer’s business purposes.

(e) Nothing in this section precludes an employer from monitoring, reviewing, accessing, or blocking electronic data stored on an employer’s network or on an electronic communications device supplied by or paid for in whole or in part by the employer.

(f) Nothing in this section precludes an employer from complying with a duty to screen employees, or applicants before hiring, or to monitor or retain employee communications:

(1) That is established under federal or state law or by a self-regulatory organization, as defined in the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, 15 U.S.C. § 78c(a)(26); or

(2) In the course of a law-enforcement employment application or law-enforcement officer conduct investigation performed by a law-enforcement agency.

(g) Nothing in this section precludes an employer from viewing, accessing, or using information about an employee or applicant that is in the public domain.

(h) An employer shall not discharge, discipline, threaten to discharge or discipline, or otherwise retaliate against an employee or applicant for not complying with a request or demand by the employer that violates this section. However, this section does not prohibit an employer from terminating or otherwise taking an adverse action against an employee or applicant if otherwise permitted by law.

80 Del. Laws, c. 146, §  1; 

(a) Definitions. —

For the purposes of this section:

(1) “Applicant” means a prospective employee applying for employment.

(2) “Compensation” includes monetary wages as well as benefits and other forms of compensation.

(b) It shall be an unlawful employment practice for an employer or an employer’s agent to:

(1) Screen applicants based on their compensation histories, including by requiring that an applicant’s prior compensation satisfy minimum or maximum criteria.

(2) Seek the compensation history of an applicant from the applicant or a current or former employer.

(c) For the purposes of this section, if an employer can demonstrate that the employer’s agent, who is not an employee, was informed of the requirements of this section and instructed to comply by the employer, then the employer is not liable for actions taken by the agent in violation of this section.

(d) Nothing in this section prohibits an employer or an employer’s agent and an applicant from discussing and negotiating compensation expectations provided that the employer or employer’s agent does not request or require the applicant’s compensation history.

(e) Nothing in this section prohibits an employer or an employer’s agent from seeking the applicant’s compensation history after an offer of employment with terms of compensation has been extended to the applicant and accepted, for the sole purpose of confirming the applicant’s compensation history.

(f) The Department of Labor shall post the requirements of this section on its website and shall perform outreach as necessary to educate employers of the requirements of this section.

(g) Enforcement. —

The Department of Labor has the same powers under this section as given in § 1111 of this title.

(h) Penalties. —

(1) Any employer or employer’s agent who violates or fails to comply with any requirement of this section shall be deemed in violation of this section and shall be subject to a civil penalty of not less than $1,000 nor more than $5,000 for the first offense and not less than $5,000 nor more than $10,000 for each subsequent violation.

(2) For penalty purposes, any actions by an employer or employer’s agent that violate the provisions of paragraph (b)(1) or (b)(2) of this section that pertain to interviewing and hiring for a single position shall constitute a single violation.

(3) A civil penalty claim may be filed in any court of competent jurisdiction.

81 Del. Laws, c. 41, § 1;