Most Popular

Organized labor’s knockout punch

by John Neighbours Following the United Auto Workers’ (UAW) election loss at Volkswagen’s (VW) automobile plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka declared, “That was just round one” in organized labor’s southern strategy. From my perspective that is nothing more than “making lemonade out of lemons.”  Transplant automobile manufacturers have been locating plants throughout […]

Top 5 HR resolutions for not getting sued in 2017

As 2016 draws to a close, each of us will likely take time to reflect on what we hope to achieve in the coming year. In my case, this reflection usually involves resolving to be happier and more productive and reduce my carb intake. I would be remiss as an HR lawyer, however, if I […]

Background Checks on MySpace—Dangerous or Due Diligence?

Is it now negligence if you don’t do background checks on MySpaceTM and Facebook? “We’re not there yet for every job,” says attorney Joseph Beachboard, “but it’s getting there for sensitive jobs like installers and home care providers.” Beachboard’s comments came at the recent Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Annual Convention and Exposition in […]

independent contractor

Test for Classifying Workers is Shifting Away From ‘Economic Reality’

In May 2025, the Trump administration’s U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) published guidance saying that it would stop enforcing a Biden-era rule—one that had rescinded a rule created during the first Trump administration—on the factors distinguishing independent contractors from employees. Although the Biden-era rule remains “on the books” for now while the DOL considers replacing […]

Impact on Life Duration & Quality Drives Drug Value

A prescription drug’s ability to prolong life is a top factor health plans are using when fixing benchmark prices for drug reimbursement, followed by the drug’s ability to improve the patient’s quality of life, health care stakeholders said at an April 15 briefing hosted by the Alliance for Health Reform. Steven Pearson, MD, MSc, president […]

The effects of impending minimum wage increases

by Cornell Bang The effort to increase the minimum wage at the federal, state, and municipal level continues to gain momentum. At the municipal level, Los Angeles voted in 2015 to increase its minimum wage from $9 an hour to $15 by 2020, San Francisco voted in 2014 to raise its minimum wage from $12.25 […]

Can an Early Retirement Nudge Lead to a Lawsuit?

Employers are often reluctant to follow up on allegations made against employees nearing retirement age, both because of the fear of age bias claims, and because these employees stand to lose valuable retirement and other benefits if they’re terminated. For these reasons, employers sometimes suggest that the employee take early retirement rather than risk termination.

The Vicker(s) Cometh

Tonight truly marked the beginning of the end for Michael Scott, as a new Scranton branch manager made his first appearance. Deangelo Vickers, played by Will Ferrell, started out with a Michael-esque quality of lovable dope, but it soon became apparent Deangelo Vickers is no Michael Scott. It became apparent when he asked Erin to change the […]

Be prepared even if taking the wait-and-see approach

My son is addicted to movie trailers. Don’t get me wrong, I love movie trailers myself, but my son takes it to another level. I recently checked the YouTube history on the iPad we permit our kids to use and found that instead of playing games on the multitude of kid-friendly applications we downloaded, my […]

Americans With Disabilities Act Update: New Rulings Show The Law Can Protect Employees Who Aren’t “Disabled”; Even Teasing Can Trigger Coverage

When the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed in 1992, the initial questions focused on how to reasonably accommodate disabled workers. But there is another sticky problem that has been surfacing more recently: just who is entitled to ADA protection? You might be surprised to discover that the answer is broader than you think. Even […]