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ICE Sends Notification of Imminent I-9 Audits to 652 Employers
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents will soon descend on 652 American businesses to do audits on their I-9 employment eligibility records. The agency, part of the Department of... EEOC Steps Up Enforcement as Disability Claims Rise to Record Level
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently brought high-profile lawsuits against Kmart and a beverage distributor in Illinois for disability claims. Kmart allegedly fired a store... New Jersey to Raise Its Minimum Wage Effective July 24
New Jersey is raising its minimum wage to match the new federal rate of $7.25; the state's current rate is $7.15 per hour. The change for New Jersey and for the nation both take place on July 24,... Paid Family Leave Takes Effect in New Jersey Today with 92 Applications Pending
New Jersey's paid family leave plan, funded solely by a tax on employees, officially launches today (July 1, 2009) with some 92 applicants waiting to use the program. Employees have been paying... Alarm Finally Goes Off at USCIS Over Expiring I-9 Employment Eligibility Form
With a scant four days to go before the revised I-9 employment eligibility form was set to expire (the thing was introduced Feb. 2 with an expiration date of June 30, both in the year of our lord... Supreme Court Overturns New Haven's Firefighter Test Results Decision
In a 5-to-4 vote, the U.S. Supreme Court has overturned two court decisions that allowed the city of New Haven, Connecticut, to throw out firefighter promotional exams based on the results. The... Maryland Minimum Wage to Go Up July 24 to Match New Federal Rate
Maryland will increase its minimum wage from $6.55 to $7.25 an hour on July 24 to match the federal rate that goes into effect that same day. Businesses in Maryland must thus replace their... Kentucky Minimum Wage to Go Up on July 1
Kentucky's minimum wage will rise from $6.55 to $7.25 an hour on July 1, beating out the federal increase to the same rate by about three weeks. The minimum wage for tipped employees will remain... Illionis Minimum Wage Rises to $8 an Hour on July 1
Indicted former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich lives on as his minimum wage law will see the state's wage rate rise to $8 an hour on July 1 and to $8.25 a year later. It currently stands at... Virginia Mandates New Earned Income Tax Credit Notification Poster
The state of Virginia has added a new "Earned Income Tax Credit" poster to its list of mandatory workplace postings. The new poster provides employees with information... Supreme Court's Age-Bias Decision May Provoke Congressional Ledbetter-Like
Response
Supreme Court watchers are predicting that the justices' split decision to force plaintiffs to show a preponderance of proof that age was the "but-for" (sole) factor in age discrimination... The EEOC Weighs Revised Regulations to Implement Changes Under the ADAAA
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), charged with enforcing Title 1 of the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), has begun writing new regulations to comply with the expanded... DOL Goes on Hiring Binge to Increase Enforcement
The Department of Labor (DOL) is seeking new muscle in its battle to enforce labor and safety laws. The U.S. Department of Labor wants to hire 670 investigators, 200 wage-and-hour examiners, and... Voter-Approved Milwaukee Paid Sick Leave Law Ruled Unconstitutional
Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Thomas Cooper has struck down a voter-approved initiative that would have granted every employee in Milwaukee up to nine days of paid sick leave per year. The ruling... Minnesota Mandate Forces HIPAA-Covered Providers in the State to Go Electronic
Governor Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota has pushed for and received legislation requiring that all medical claims and payment transactions in his state be conducted electronically by Dec. 19, 2009.... Colorado Law Grants Employees Up to 18 Hours of School Leave for Conferences
Colorado has enacted a law similar to Nevada's granting employees at firms with 50 or more on staff up to 18 hours a year in leave to attend children's school activities. However, Colorado's law is... Whoa! Court Awards $4.1 Billion for Wrongful Termination of $12K-a-Month
Employee
Only in California. The chief marketing officer for a firm called iFreedom Communications was awarded almost $4 billion by an arbitrator in a wrongful termination dispute. That was in January. The... Illinois Minimum Wage Rising to $8 a Hour on July 1
Illinois will join California, Massachusetts and Connecticut on July 1 when its minimum wage rises from $7.75 to $8.00 an hour. Three states have higher minimum wages: Washington is tops at $8.55... WHO Proclaims First Flu Pandemic in 41 Years; Personnel Concepts Responds With
Useful Tools
The World Health Organization (WHO) has informed its member nations that it is raising the warning level on the A/H1N1 flu virus from 5 to 6, making it the first declared pandemic in 41 years.... Nevada Mandates Four Hours of Leave Time Per Child for School Events
Nevada Governor Jim Gibbons has signed into law AB 243, which grants each employee four hours time off per year to attend school events for each enrolled child, whether in public or private... San Francisco Restaurant Assn. Takes City's Health Ordinance to Supreme Court
The Golden Gate Restaurant Association, representing restaurateurs in the City and County of San Francisco, has filed with the Supreme Court for a reivew of the Healthy San Francisco ordinance that... ADP Says Layoffs Slowed in May, As Did Announced Future Reductions
ADP Employer Services announced that its data indicated American firms shed 532,000 jobs in May, down from 545,000 in April. At the same time, the number of announced future layoffs totaled... WAGES Act Proposes Minimum Hourly Amount for Tipped Employees
H.R. 2570, the Working for Adequate Gains for Employment in Services Act (the acronymic WAGES legislation), seeks to set a nationwide minimum wage for tipped employees, who are now paid as low as... E-Verify Implementation Pushed Back for Third Time, Now to Sept. 8
Facing litigation over a Bush-era regulation not yet implemented, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has pushed back the start date for the intended rule that requires most federal... Nevada Updates Its Minimum Wage Poster, Revised Version Needs to Be Posted
The Nevada Office of the Labor Commissioner has updated its Rules to Be Observed poster. Effective July 1, 2009, the minimum wage will increase from $5.85 per hour to $6.55 per hour for... Nassau County Wal-Mart Fined, Cited in Black Friday Trampling Death
Wal-Mart has been cited and fined $7,000 in the Black Friday death of a seasonal worker who was literally stampeded to death when the doors opened at 5 a.m. this past Nov. 28 for the yearly sale.... OSHA Announces Proposed Regulations of Combustible Dust in the Workplace
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has announced it will be establishing workplace regulations on combustible dust, which has caused at least 130 deaths and 780 injuries since... OSHA to Crack Down and Monitor Trainers More Closely
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has long relied on volunteer trainers to provide 10- and 30-hour training courses, and over the course of 36 years OSHA has certified some... First-Quarter Layoffs Set Record; Employers Must Be On Guard to Follow All Laws
In the first quarter of 2009 employers initiated 3,489 mass layoff events resulting in the separation of 558,909 workers from their jobs for at least 31 days, according to preliminary figures... Washington State Updates Its Mandated Notice to Employees Poster for
Self-Insured Businesses
The Washington State Department of Labor and Industry has updated its Notice To Employees poster. The poster is required for self-insured businesses and outlines what a... DOL Opinion Letter Confirms New FMLA Employer Leave Notification Procedures
New regulations concerning the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) took effect this past Jan. 16 with some rule-changing stipulations. In the past, for instance, employees could take FMLA and then... GINA Takes Effect Nov. 21, But Law's Child Labor Penalties Already Being
Enforced
The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) of 2008 is not scheduled to take effect until Nov. 21, with Final Regulations due this May 21, but the legislation immediately increased the... DOJ Cracks Down on USERRA Violations, Vows Tougher Enforcement
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has commenced a crackdown on violations of the Uniformed Services Employment and Re-employment Rights act (USERRA) in light of several instances of returning... Mandated Paid Sick Leave Laws Gain Momentum in Several States
Three municipalities have enacted paid sick leave statutes, with Milwaukee's being the most generous at nine days per year. However, the Milwaukee voter-approved measure is now tied up in court... DHS Orders Change in Focus on Immigration Raids and Will Now Target Employers
In a memo issued yesterday and taking effect today, May 1, 2009, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has ordered a change in orientation on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids... Red Flags Rule for Financial Institutions and Creditors Delayed Until Aug. 1
The Red Flags Rule promulgated by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), set to go into force today, May 1, has been delayed until Aug. 1. For entities that have a low risk of identity theft, such as... Kansas Governor Signs Minimum Wage Increase for State Effective Jan. 1
In one of her last official acts before heading off to Washington, D.C., and becoming Health and Human Services Secretary, Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius has signed a bill raising the in-state... Seventh Circuit Court Decides Driving Is Not a Major Life Activity Under ADA
The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that driving is not considered a "major life activity" qualifying its impairment as a disability under the ADA (Americans With Disabilities... Lilly Ledbetter Act Extended to Denial of Tenure
A college professor has succeeded in applying the recently passed Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act to a long-ago hearing that denied her tenure, which she claims came about due to gender... Nebraska Mandates E-Verify Usage for State Contractors; Illinois E-Verify Ban
Overturned
Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman has signed into law a bill (LB 403) requiring public employers (i.e., state agencies and political subdivisions) and contractors to register with and use the... Being Called Up to Active Duty Now Considered Involuntary Termination for COBRA
Subsidy Purposes
In March, Treasury Department and IRS officials indicated that being called to military duty is not an involuntary termination for the new 65-percent COBRA subsidy. Now, the government has... New Mexico Continues to Get Tough on Wage Theft
In addition to the treble damages law that New Mexico recently enacted for wage disputes, legislators have passed and the governor has signed other initiatives to set a statute of limitations on... EEOC Releases Employer Guidelines for Workers Who Are Also Caregivers
Two years ago the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) released guidance that made treatment of employees with caregiving responsibilities subject to actionable discrimination charges,... Court Rules that FedEx Drivers Are Contractors Not Subject to Union Bargaining
In a widely watched and anticipated case, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has ruled that a unit of FedEx need not bargain with a union representing its drivers,... Starting May 18, Beefed-UP TAA Program Offers 154 Weeks of UI and 80% COBRA
Subsidy
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), signed into law on Feb. 17, not only strengthened and lengthened unemployment insurance and offered a COBRA subsidy for those involuntarily... Missouri Updates Its Mandated Minimum Wage Poster
The Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations has updated its minimum wage notice. According to the agency, the section titled "Learners and Apprentices" has... Applicability Date of Federal Contractor E-Verify Use Pushed Back to June 30
WASHINGTON—The applicability date of the final rule requiring federal contractors and subcontractors to begin using U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ (USCIS) E-Verify system... HHS Issues Guidelines on Implementing HIPAA Portion of ARRA
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published guidance today regarding technologies and methodologies to secure health information and prevent harm by rendering health... North Carolina Revises Its Wage and Hour Notice; New Poster Available
The state of North Carolina has revised its "Wage and Hour Notice to Employees" and is requiring employers to replace existing posters with the new one dated 3/09/2009. Changes include... Survey Finds Nearly Half of Those Laid Off in Past Three Months Found New Jobs
While the Federal Reserve said this week that the economy has bottomed in many parts of the country, a first-quarter survey shows that 41 percent of people laid off in the past three... On Tax Day, Personnel Concepts Rolls Out Its Paperwork, Record-Keeping Solution
for Your Business
To help employers effectively document every aspect of their employees' work life and comply with mandatory record-keeping requirements, Personnel Concepts has introduced a comprehensive Ea-zY... Guidelines on Implementing HITECH into HIPAA Due Friday, April 17
Folded into the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) is a lengthy section that adds new enforcement penalties and another covered entity to what already exists under the Health Insurance... Court in Overtime Case Rules Liquidated Damages to Be the Norm
Many wage disputes center on overtime pay. Employers sometimes mistakenly figure that just paying someone a salary exempts that person from also being paid time-and-a-half overtime. However, the... Saturday (April 18) Is Deadline for Notifying Terminated Employees of Extended
COBRA Eligibility
According to provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), employers must notify all their employees terminated on or after Sept. 1, 2008, who initially chose not to enroll in... New Mexico Enacts Treble Damages Law for Minimum Wage Violations; Iowa Stiffens
Fines
New Mexico has become the eighth state to implement a treble damages law for violations of the minimum wage. In other words, employees can win not only back pay but also double that amount in... CEOs' Forecast Includes More Layoffs; Employers Need to Navigate Federal Laws in
Downsizing
The Business Roundtable index of CEOs' six-month forecast fell to -5 in March from 16.5 late in 2008. Anything below 50 is considered a forecast of economic contraction. More than 70 percent... Kansas Legislators Send State Minimum Wage Bill to Governor to Match Federal
Rate
The Kansas legislature on Friday passed a bill raising the state minimum wage to $7.25 in January 2010. Governor Kathleen Sebelius, Barack Obama's designated secretary of Health and Human Services,... New I-9 Form Now in Effect with Revised Requirements for Document Verification
The revised I-9 employment eligibility form required by the United States Customs and Immigration Service (USCIS) is now in effect after an initial 60-day delay for further review. The new I-9,... IRS Clarifies COBRA 'Involuntarily Terminated' to Include Buyouts and Relocation
Refusals
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has ruled that the COBRA subsidy available for those "involuntarily terminated" is available to employees who take early retirements and buyouts as well... OSHA Updates Field Operations Manual for Compliance Officers
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in late March issued an updated Field Operations Manual, which replaces the 1994 Field Inspection Reference Manual except for the section on... Supreme Court Takes Up Age Discrimination Case, Ruling Could Increase Burden on
Employers
This is no April Fool's Joke. The Supreme Court is reviewing a case involving age discrimination to decide whether the burden of proof lies with the plaintiff (the employee or former employee) or... Barring Further Announcements, New USCIS Form 1-9 Goes into Effect April 3
The revised I-9 employment eligibility form is slated to go into effect this Friday, April 3, after a 60-day delay. All employers must use the I-9 dated 02-02-2009 beginning April 3. The United... Bill Introduced to Turn FMLA into a Paid-Leave Program
The Family Leave Insurance Act of 2009 (H.R. 1723) was introduced into the House on March 25 by, among others, the author of the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), Representative George Miller... NLRB Slaps Republic Windows and Doors with Huge Fine for 'Illegal' Relocation
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has levied a fine equal to two weeks' pay for all of its unionized employees on Chicago-based Republic Windows and Doors and its owner, Richard... CHIPRA Kicks in April 1, and Employers Need to Set Up New Special Enrollment
Periods
The Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA) begins taking effect Wednesday, April 1, 2009 (no, this is not an April Fool's joke), and employers who offer group health plans... Guidance Coming on What 'Involuntarily Terminated' Means for COBRA Subsidy;
April 19 Deadline Looms Too
The Department of Labor (DOL) and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) have indicated they will soon clarify the term "involuntarily terminated" that was used as a qualifying factor for the... GAO Stings WHD, So DOL Announces Step-Up in Monitoring Wage and Hour Abuse
Once you get past all the abbreviations, what the headline above says is that the Government Accounting Office (GAO) investigated the Wage and Hour Division (WHD) of the Department of... ARRA Changes Unemployment Insurance Landscape, N.J. Up to 72 Weeks Now
Unemployment insurance provisions contained in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the federal stimulus plan, enable states not only to pay extra unemployment compensation each week,... Court Awards Highest USERRA Judgment Ever at $1.3 Million; It Pays to Stay in
Compliance
A federal judge has awarded a reservist $1.3 million in back pay, legal fees and damages for being illegally denied his position as a financial adviser after returning from duty in the Middle... Department of Labor Releases COBRA Subsidy Notification Forms for Employers
The Department of Labor (DOL) today released model forms to be used in informing qualified employees who have been involuntarily terminated of their rights to a 65-percent federal subsidy on... Supreme Court Ruling Makes It Easier for Employees to Sue for Retaliation
Recently, the U.S. Supreme Court reversed lower-court rulings in the case of Vicky Crawford, allowing her suit against Metro Nashville Public Schools in Tennessee to go to... Shhh! Don't Tell Arnold: Furloughs May Affect Salaried Employees' Exempt Status
Many companies are turning to unpaid time off, or furloughs in the case of California state employees, as a means to save money and avert layoffs. However, legal advisors are cautioning that... Careful: If You Take a Cent of Stimulus Money, A New Whistleblower Law Covers
You
A little-noticed provision of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) called Section 1553 extends new whistleblower protections to employees of any company receiving funds from the... EEOC Says Job Discrimination Complaints Reach Record Level
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) reports that, for the year ending Sept. 30, 2008, job discrimination complaints rose to a record level of 95,402, up from 82,800 during the... Layoffs to Moderate, but Firms Will Continue to Slash Costs, Survey Finds
A survey by Watson Wyatt finds that most firms have accomplished or set in motion their reduction-in-workforce plans in face of a dangerous economy, but they are now turning their attention to... E-Verify Set to Expire Today, While EFCA Goes to House Next Week for Vote,
Maybe...
The Department of Homeland Security's online employment eligibility verification program known as E-Verify will run out of legislative steam today, March 6, unless it's renewed by Congress. A... Courts Confirm That the ADAAA Is Not a Retroactive Law
The Americans With Disabilities Amendments Act (ADAAA) was signed into law on Sept. 25, 2008, but it had an effective date of Jan. 1, 2009, built in. Nonetheless, efforts were made to apply it... EEOC Sets May 1 Deadline for Comments on Proposed GINA Regulations
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) published its proposed regulations for Title II of the Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act (GINA) in the Federal Register yesterday, which... E-Verify May Be On Hold, But It Gets $110 Million in New Budget
Mandatory use of the government's E-Verify employee eligibility system by federal contractors may be on hiatus for right now--or may never reappear--but E-Verify itself seems to be in for the long... EEOC Opens 60-Day Commentary Period on GINA, Will Issue Final Rule By May 21
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has opened a 60-day public commentary period on implementing Title II of the Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act (GINA). The commentary... Employees On Call Need Not Be Compensated, WHD Advises
The Wage and Hour Division (WHD) of the Department of Labor (DOL) has issued an opinion letter stating that businesses are under no obligation to pay employees who are placed on call to report... CHIPRA Notification and Eligibility Begin April 1, Requirements May Vary by
State
The Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA) of 2009 extends through 2013 what was formerly known as SCHIP (State Children's Health Insurance Program) but is now... North Carolina Updates Its Mandatory Worker's Compensation Poster
The State of North Carolina has updated its Worker's Compensation notice, and all employers are required to replace their old posters dated 4/07 with the current version dated 2/2009. ... Stimulus Bill Giveth and Taketh on COBRA Subsidies
President Barack Obama today signed into law the $787-billion economic stimulus bill that affects employers in many ways, not the least of which is a new COBRA (Consolidated Omnibus Budget... Stimulus Bill Expands Unemployment Insurance to Some Who Quit
The economic stimulus package sailing toward enactment includes $7 billion in unemployment insurance (UI) funds for states that voluntarily agree to start paying employees who quit work to... Court Delays Start of Milwaukee's Paid Sick Leave Law
In the end, even the City of Milwaukee sent lawyers to court to argue that it was "not ready" to implement a voter referendum that mandated up to nine days of paid sick leave for... Stimulus Package to Tighten HIPAA Privacy Protections
In addition to funding increased implementation of electronic medical records (EMRs), the stimulus package being worked on in Washington, D.C., includes new provisions for tightening privacy rules... Today Marks the 16th Anniversary of the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
Today (Feb. 5, 2009) marks the 16th anniversary of the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), which initially offered workers up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave to care for themselves or other family members... USCIS Delays the New I-9 and Verification Rules for 60 Days at Least
New rules and a new I-9 employee verification form were to take effect today, but following the "hold all new regulations for review" memo issued by White House Chief of Staff Rame... E-Verify Contractor Mandate Is Verified to Start...Sometime, Maybe
The E-Verify online database system, which is used to check the legal work status of employees, was scheduled to be a requirement for most federal contractors and subcontractors starting in... Iowa Updates Its Mandated OSHA Poster
The state of Iowa has released a new OSHA panel entitled "Job Safety and Health, It's The Law." The new poster has been updated with a new look, and old information was removed,... Fair Pay Act to Be Signed Today, Take Effect on May 28, 2007
As the first bill to sail thorugh the 111th, Democratic-dominated Congress, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act will be signed by President Obama today in a ceremony featuring its namesake. Even more... New I-9 Employee Verification Form Takes Effect Monday, Feb. 2
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) is implementing a new employee verification form, known as the I-9, starting Monday, Feb. 2, 2009. Until then, employers should use the... Supreme Court Extends Retaliation Protection to Internal Investigation
Participants
In a unanimous decision penned by Justice David Souter, the U.S. Supreme Court has extended protection against retaliation to those employees who participate in internal investigations but do not... Washington Updates Three Mandatory Posters, Available On Our SS-1
Three mandated workplace posters for the State of Washington have been revised and redesigned: The WISHA poster, the “Your Rights as a Worker” poster, and the Worker's Compensation... Reminder: OSHA Form 300A Needs Illness/Injury Data Posted by Feb. 1
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires employers to post an injury and illness summary on its Form 300A each Feb. 1 (for the previous year) and to keep it displayed until... New York Tightens Its WARN Provisions and Requirements Effective Feb. 1
In a preview of steps President Barack Obama has discussed for nationwide implementation, New York has revised its WARN (Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification) Act. The revised... Incoming Homeland Chief Signals No Let-Up in Workplace Immigration Inspections
During confirmation hearings, Janet Napolitano, Barack Obama's choice as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees the U.S. Customs and Immigration Service (USCIS),... New York Employers Must Post Correction Law Poster by Feb. 1
Effective Feb. 1, 2009, employers in New York must post a copy of Article 23-A of the Correction Law relating to the use of prior convictions. Article 23-A generally prohibits employers from... Stimulus Package Includes Health IT Bill and Funding for Doctors, Hospitals
The latest version of the economic stimulus legislation includes 187 pages of the Health IT for Economic and Clinical Health Act, or HITECH Act for short, along with $20 billion of funding to... Be Prepared: New FMLA Regs Take Effect Jan. 16
The Department of Labor (DOL) Final Rule governing the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) takes effect tomorrow, Jan 16, 2009. Covered employers are required to update their leave policies,... Philadelphia Mandates Unpaid Leave for Employees Affected By Domestic or Sexual
Violence
The City of Philadelphia passed an ordinance on Jan. 5 entitling employees to unpaid leave when they or a family or household member suffers domestic or sexual violence. Stalking is included in the... Facing Lawsuit, USCIS Back Pedals E-Verify to Feb. 20 Start Date
As we reported last week, the USCIS, relying on a presidential executive order, was pushing for implementation of the E-Verify system on federal contractors and subcontractors on Jan. 15. Now,... OSHA Issues Revised Field Operations Manual
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has revised and reissued its Field Operationa Manual, which replaces both the 1994 Field Inspection Reference Manual and two of the... Vermont Minimum Wage Increased for Inflation, Poster Mandated
Vermont made a cost-of-living adjustment to its minimum wage on January 1, and it now stands at $8.06 an hour, up from $7.68 in 2008. Tipped employers must achieve a wage-and-tip combination that... Connecticut Sets New Minimum Wage, Mandates Poster Be Displayed
The state of Connecticut statutorially raises its minimum wage each January 1, and in 2009 the rate rose to $8.00 per hour with an increase to $8.25 set for 2010. The statute governing... New Arizona Minimum Wage Poster Needs Posting
Following voter approval of Propoistion 202 in 2007, Arizona minimum wage is reset each January 1 by the Industrial Commission of Arizona to account for increases in the consumer price index (CPI),... New Missouri Minimum Wage Poster Needs to Be Displayed
The State of Missouri has released its 2009 minimum wage poster. Effective Jan. 1, the wage rate was increased from $6.65 per hour to $7.05 per hour. All employers are required to pay... Washington Minimum Wage Poster Updated and Now Available
The State of Washington has released its new minimum wage poster for 2009. Effective Jan. 1, 2009, the state minimum wage was eased from $8.07 per hour to $8.55 per hour. Workers age 14... PPE Final Rule Expanding Fines Takes Effect Jan. 12
OSHA issued its Final Rule on personal protective equipment (PPE) on Dec. 12, 2008, which means it takes effect next Monday, Jan. 12, 2009. The Final Rule doesn't expand or change PPE... E-Verify System Takes Effect Jan. 15 for Federal Contractors
Commencing Jan. 15, any business providing goods or services to the federal government must use the E-Verify system set up by the Department of Homeland Security to determine the work... ADA Amendments Act Expands Coverage, Requires More Diligence
The ADA (Americans With Disabilities) Amendments Act (ADAAA) takes effect today and significantly expands the categories and definitions of who qualifies as someone with a disability.... Minimum Wage Rising in 11 States Come New Year's Day
Eleven states are raising their minimum wage rates come Jan. 1, 2009, the majority of them adjusting their rates to reflect inflation and cost-of-living increases. When the federal minimum hourly... FMLA Poster Updated, Needs Posting at Eligible Businesses
A revised Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) poster, reflecting the recently published final rule, has been released by the U. S. Department of Labor (DOL). Every employer covered by the... California Updates Its Mandated Unemployment Insurance Poster
The State of California has updated its Unemployment Insurance poster. The revisions include various changes throughout, including the removal of the "Local Office" section and... Ohio Minimum Wage Notification Needs Updating by Jan. 1, 2009
The State of Ohio has released its updated 2009 minimum wage poster. Effective Jan. 1, 2009, the wage rate for non-tipped employees will increase from $7.00 per hour to $7.30 per... USCIS Revises Employment Eligibility Verification Form (I-9)
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it has submitted to the Federal Register an interim final rule that will streamline the Employment Eligibility Verification... HHS Issues New E-Record Privacy Guidelines for HIPPA
President-elect Obama has already promised to support the guidelines promulgated this week by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) regarding electronic health records... OSHA Final Rule Mandates PPE and PPE Training, Raises New Fines
Today OSHA published its Final Rule to clarify an employer's duty to provide PPE (personal protective equipment) and to train each employee on its use. Effective Jan. 12, 2009, the Final... Arizona Mandates Work Exposure Poster
Arizona has released a new mandatory poster for all employers titled "Work Exposure to Methicillin-Resistant Staphlococcus Aureus (MRSA), Spinal Meningitis, or Tuberculosis (TB)".... Unemployment Claims Hit 26-Year Record as Employers Shed Jobs
Unemployment claims took a big jump of 58,000 applicants to 573,000 for the week ending Dec. 6, causing the dollar to sink against the Yen and Euro after the announcement was made today. ... Be Prepared: OSHA Launches Inspection Program in Kansas City
Kansas City is just one example of random inspections being carried out by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), where agency personnel are currently working with the local... Private Sector EEOC Filings Reach Record Level in 2008
So far in 2008, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has received a record 95,402 filings on charges of discrimination in the private section; this is up 15.2 percent from 2007. The... Insurance Industry Group Endorses Health Care Reform, Sort Of...
America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), the nation's largest health insurer trade organization, yesterday endorsed President-elect Obama's health care reform agenda, but then defanged it by saying... San Francisco Passes Employer Mandate on Commuting
In an effort to reduce air pollution and carbon monoxide emissions by 20 percent by the year 2012, San Francisco has passed an non-government employer mandate seeking to put employees on... Santa Fe, San Francisco Battle It Out for Highest Minimum Wage
Besting all states' minimum wage standards, the cities of Santa Fe and San Francisco are pushing the $10-an-hour threshold. Santa Fe Mayor David Coss announced yesterday (Dec. 1, 2008) that the... Oregon Ups Minimum Wage, New Poster Needed
On Jan. 1, 2009, Oregon is raising its minimum wage from $7.95 to $8.40, and has already issued a new notification poster, which is mandatory. As a result of Ballot Measure 25, passed by voters in... Colorado New Minimum Wage Notification Mandated
Colorado is raising its minimum wage effective Jan. 1, 2009, to $7.28 and to $4.26 for tipped employees. The new Wage Order (Number 25) supercedes all previous Wage Orders, and it is... N.J. Family Paid Leave Posting Requirements Effective Dec. 15, 2008
Though the program doesn't take effect until July 1, 2009, New Jersey's new Family Paid Leave Law does carry employee notification requirements that take effect Dec. 15--you... Initial U.S. Jobless Claims Fall for First Time in November
Initial U.S. unemployment insurance claims fell for the week ending Nov. 22 by 14,000 to seasonally adjusted 529,000, the lowest since Nov. 8, the Department of Labor (DOL) reported today. The... Montana: Minimum Wage Notice Effective Jan. 1, 2009
Montana is raising its minimum wage from $6.55 to $6.90 an hour effective Jan. 1, 2009, and will then observe the new federal minimum wage of $7.25 when it takes effect on July 24, 2009. Personnel... Florida: Minimum Wage Notice Effective Jan. 1, 2009
Florida is adjusting its minimum wage to match inflation and the rate will rise to $7.21 an hour on Jan. 1, 2009, and be effective until July 24, 2009, when a new and higher federal minimum... New Mexico to Raise Minimum Wage Jan. 1, 2009
New Mexico's minimum wage will take the nation's largest spike on Jan. 1, 2009, going from $6.50 an hour to $7.50. If you have the New Mexico state minimum wage poster that was issued on Jan. 1,... Milwaukee Implements Voter-Approved Paid Sick Leave Policy
Though it's being challenged in court, a referendum approved this month by voters in Milwaukee to provide up to nine paid sick days for all workers in the city has already taken effect and... Connecticut Court Holds That Bonuses Are Wages
It's a good thing that Lehman Brothers and other investment banks laying off employees aren't located in Connecticut, where the Appelate Court recently ruled that a bonus is a wage if it is in... FMLA Forms for Employee Notification and Health Verification Included in Final
Rule
The final rule on the Family and Medical Leave Act, issued Nov. 17, makes some changes in how FMLA leave requests are handled and, if they involve illness, how they are verified by the employees'... California Toughens Enforcement of HIPAA Privacy Rights
In the wake of several high-profile breaches of medical record privacy in California, the state has enacted new legislation that mandates costly civil penalties for HIPAA (Health Insurance... President Signs Extension of Unemployment Benefits
The Senate has passed and President Bush has signed, on the same day, a bill extending unemployment benefits from 13 to 20 weeks. In addition, states with unemployment rates above 6 percent... Court Decides Anybody from Anywhere Working in California Falls Under the State
Labor Laws
The Ninth Circuit Court, which is seated in California and which has jurisdiction over that and other western states, ruled last week that anyone working in California, even if just for an hour, is... Mandatory Arbitration Out With the New in 2009?
There may no longer be such a clause in an employment contract as binding arbitration if the new Congress acts on the proposed Arbitration Fairness Act when it convenes next year. Under the... Insurance Industry Floats Its First 'If' on National Health Care
The insurance industry has signalled its willingness to sign off on national health care provided the program includes a mandate that everyone buy a policy if not otherwise covered, according... VBIA Clarifies There's No Statute of Limitations on USERRA Claims
The Veterans' Benefits Improvement Act (VBIA) of 2008, which was recently signed into law by President Bush, clarifies that federal statutes of limitations do not apply to claims filed... Obama Team Looks to Review Workplace Safety, Family Leave Policies
The Wall Street Journal, in today's edition, examines President-elect Obama's transition team and possible regulatory agency chiefs and concludes that a host of new regulations and revisions... DOL Inks the Deal on FMLA Expansion and New Rules
As we reported in advance on Friday, the Department of Labor (DOL) today (Nov. 17, 2008) published its final rule in the Federal Register to update and expand the Family Medical and... VETS Updates, Consolidates USERRA Rights Notice
The Veterans Employment and Training Service (VETS) of the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) is correcting and consolidating the text in Parts A and B of the appendix to 20 CFR Part 1002, the... Obama Letters Reveal Possible Labor Law Changes
Inn wooing the government workers' vote in this month's election, then presidential candidate and now President-elect Barack Obama penned letters to employees in each federal agency, the Washington... EEOC Issues New Guide to Americans With Disabilities Act
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has issued a new guide stating that employees with a disability must meet the same performance standards as those applicable to all employees in... Intermittent FMLA Leave Cannot Carry Over, Court Rules
In Candice Davis v. Michigan Bell Telephone Company, the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a request for intermittent FMLA leave terminates when the employee's new 12-month FMLA leave... New FMLA Regs on the Horizon
As early as today, the Department of Labor (DOL) is going to issue new regulations relating to the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). The regulations are being promulgated after a... New Jersey Adopts Family Leave Insurance Plan
New Jersey Governor John Corzine has signed into law a new Family Leave Insurance bill, the third state in the nation to adopt such a law, that becomes effective July 1, 2009. The law... ADA Amendments Act Takes Effect January 1, 2009
On Sept. 25, 2008, President George W. Bush signed into law amendments to the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) that significantly expand the definition of... Illinois: 'Your Rights Under Illinois Employment Laws' Issued
The State of Illinois has released a new notice entitled "Your Rights Under Illinois Employment Laws." The new notice consolidates and incorporates three other notices: "Equal Pay... North Carolina: Minimum Wage Update
The State of North Carolina has updated its minimum wage notice. According to the agency, the change is mandatory and all employers are required to replace their existing notices with the... Michigan: Unemployment Benefits Notice Updated
The State of Michigan has updated its Unemployment Benefits notice. According to the agency, the change is mandatory and all employers are required to replace their existing notices with the... Kansas: Updated Unemployment Insurance Poster
The State of Kansas has updated its Unemployment Insurance poster. The poster was updated with new information regarding the state's automated phone system and TTY numbers for the hearing and... West Virginia: Unemployment Benefits Notice
The revised West Virginia Unemployment Benefits poster includes changes to the benefit rate table which went into effect July 6, 2008. Customers... Oklahoma: Minimum Wage Notice
The Oklahoma minimum wage notice was revised to reflect the $6.55 per hour rate effective July 24, 2009. Customers in the state of Oklahoma can update their existing poster... Massachusetts: Wage & Hour Laws Notice
The state of Massachusetts has added the sections “Travel Time” and “Small Necessities Leave Act” to its poster. Customers in the state of Massachusetts can update... Maryland: Minimum Wage Notice
The Maryland minimum wage poster was revised to include the wage rate increase from $6.15 per hour to $6.55 per hour effective July 24, 2008. Customers in the state of... Illinois: Minimum Wage Notice
The State of Illinois has released a new notice entitled "Your Rights Under Illinois Emmployment Laws." The new notice incorporates and consolidates three previous notices: "Equal... Federal Minimum Wage Has Increased to $6.55
On July 24, 2008, the federal minimum wage was increased from $5.85 to $6.55 per hour. All employers covered under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) must comply with the wage... |
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