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Do Your Excess Hours and Overtime Averaging Permits Need to Be Renewed?

by Martin Denyes As Ontario employers reduce their workforces and potentially look to smaller numbers of remaining employees to take on increasing workloads, February is the time to review existing excess hours agreements and permits and overtime averaging agreements and permits. Legislation requiring permits and agreements for hours in excess of 48 in a week […]

‘Trainee’ Informed She’s Not Entitled to Minimum Wage, Overtime

A salon in Queens will pay more than $5,000 to a manicurist after allegedly telling a worker she was a “trainee” and not entitled to minimum wage or overtime. The employer also informed the woman she would have to pay a deposit to work at the salon. According to a press statement by New York […]

Blowing Holes in Collective Agreements

by Emilie Paquin-Holmested and Dominique Monet The Supreme Court of Canada, in Québec (Procureur général) c. Syndicat de la fonction publique, recently struck down a clause in a collective agreement. The clause in question prevented certain employees from challenging discipline through grievance arbitration. The Court declared the clause void because it contravened a statutory minimum […]

Colorado wage theft protection law takes effect in January

by Emily Hobbs-Wright Most provisions of Colorado’s new Wage Protection Act, which establishes an administrative procedure to adjudicate wage claims under state law, will take effect January 1. The law means that for wages and compensation earned on or after January 1, 2015, the Colorado Division of Labor may receive complaints and adjudicate claims for […]

Want to Avoid Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) Problems? Do a Self-Audit

If the government is willing to go after the world’s largest store on FLSA, they’ll go after anyone. Here’s how to keep the Washington wolves from your door. Wal-Mart has been in the news lately, and not just for having “always the low price.” According to government allegations, Wal-Mart has also had “sometimes the low […]

DOL Issues New Guidance on Investments Made by Retirement Plans

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has issued new guidance regarding economically targeted investments (ETIs) made by retirement plans covered by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act. ETIs are investments that are selected for the benefits they create in addition to the investment return to the employee benefit plan investor.

Ameriprise Suit Alleging 401(k) Fund Selection Favoritism Allowed to Advance

A recent U.S. district court decision is the latest ruling over plan fees and may give a legal foothold to participants seeking restitution for investment decisions they deem imprudent. Judge Susan Richard Nelson of the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota ruled against Ameriprise Financial Inc. in a case concerning allegations that the […]

Supreme Court Overturns Restrictions on Corporate, Union Political Activities

After a 5-4 ruling delivered January 21 by the U.S. Supreme Court, corporations and labor unions will now be permitted to spend as much as they wish on independent activities in support or opposition of presidential and congressional candidates. The restrictions on campaign expenditures had been in place for decades. In Citizens United v. Federal […]