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DOL Unveils $12 Billion 2013 Budget Request

The U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) fiscal year 2013 budget request continues many priorities emphasized in the previous year’s budget, such as the effort to combat worker misclassification, while ending or consolidating some programs aimed at helping women and veterans find jobs. The DOL’s 2013 budget request comes in at $12 billion. The 2012 request […]

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Are You Accidentally Discouraging Applicants?

In part one of this article, we noted that employers are having a difficult time getting enough qualified applicants for all of their open roles. We started to explore some of the reasons why there are fewer applicants. For example, we noted that a lot of people who are of working age are not participating in […]

Accommodations: Jury Award for Agoraphobic Worker Slashed by $4 Million

In May, we reported that a Sonoma County jury awarded $6.5 million to county MediCal caseworker George Alberigi, who claimed the county’s human services department refused to accommodate his agoraphobia (fear of going outside) and panic disorder when he applied for a promotion. The jury’s verdict included $1.5 million in economic damages and just under […]

Hard to Fill Roles: Tips for Recruiting Creative Talent

Everything these days is web-based, from online shopping to chat-bot-doctors and everywhere in between. We’re an interconnected world and because of this, we need more and more creative tech talent to help build websites, mobile apps, and more to help keep the Internet of Things running smoothly. However, many employers are saying it’s a struggle […]

When time is the very essence of your job, best not be late …

By Michel Bellemare Every job has its own peculiarities. What might be a minor shortcoming in one type of employment could be catastrophic in another. This is especially true when the breach touches on the very heart of the duties assigned to an employee. This, at least, is what an employee learned in a recent […]

Employee Misconduct: High Court Says Public Employers Can Punish Workers Who Lie In Investigations; How New Ruling Could Affect You

When employees are accused of misconduct, their first instinct may be to say they didn’t do it. But under a new U.S. Supreme Court ruling, public employer scan impose additional punishment on workers who deny an accusationthat later proves to be true. This seemingly straightforward decisioncould have some unexpected consequences, however, as employers may find […]

Health Care Insurance Reform’s Fate in Supreme Court’s Hands

By Jessica Webb-Ayer, J.D., BLR Attorney Editor The U.S. Supreme Court recently heard oral arguments on challenge to the massive health care insurance reform law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), enacted March 2010. Although there’s no crystal ball to tell us how the justices will inevitably rule, the oral arguments did provide […]

Colorado’s new use-it-or-lose-it vacation policy sparks questions

The Colorado Division of Labor has taken a new position on enforcing wage claims based on an employer’s vacation policy, and the position is leaving employers with questions about whether use-it-or-lose-it vacation policies are lawful in the state. In response to inquiries about whether policies that prohibit employees from rolling over some or all earned […]