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CBO: $194 billion deficit increase if key ACA subsidies end in 2017

by Jennifer Carson The Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires insurers to offer plans with reduced deductibles, copayments, and other means of cost-sharing to certain people, depending on their income, who purchase plans through the ACA marketplaces. In turn, insurers receive federal payments arranged by the Secretary of Health and Human Services to cover the costs […]

California: Marijuana Referendum Goes Down in Ashes

by Mark Schickman, Freeland Cooper & Foreman LLP Politically, California bucked the national move to the right, reelecting House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senator Barbara Boxer — two poster children for the perceived overreaches of the Obama administration. In the governor’s race, it rejected the claimed business savvy of former e-Bay CEO Meg Whitman, instead […]

Whistleblower Complaints: OSHA Issues Final Rules for Whistleblower Complaints Under the Sarbanes-Oxley Law

In 2002, President Bush signed into law the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, designed to deter corporate corruption and protect employees who blow the whistle on corporate transgressions. Now the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the agency designated to handle whistleblower complaints under the act, has released final rules regarding the complaint filing and investigation process. […]

FMLA Retaliation or Unauthorized Use of Vacation Time?

By Shane A. Zahrt, JD, Felhaber Larson An employee claimed she was terminated by her employer for taking time off under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to cope with a back injury. Her employer blamed the termination on her unapproved use of vacation days. Read on to see how a federal judge used […]

News Notes: Communications With EAP Counselors Are Privileged

Oksana Oleszko sued her employer, State Compensation Insurance Fund, for sexual harassment, racial and national-origin discrimination and retaliation. To help prove her claims, Oleszko asked the court to force State Fund to reveal communications between co-workers and unlicensed counselors in its employee assistance program. State Fund balked, saying disclosure would discourage employees from seeking needed […]

Unleashing Gen AI Success Through Team Collaboration

The emergence of generative AI (Gen AI) has ushered in a transformative era, presenting organizations with unprecedented opportunities to optimize operations, drive innovation, and gain a significant competitive advantage. However, simply acquiring cutting-edge Gen AI tools is insufficient to realize its full potential. True transformation requires a fundamental shift in organizational culture—one that actively empowers […]

Women Mentoring Women

Thomasina Tafur, a former FedEx senior manager who is now the president of Thomasina Tafur Consulting (www.thomasinatafur.com), which offers HR executives advice on positioning females for leadership roles, offers these tips for you to consider when offering a women mentor program: Conduct a needs assessment. Determine what upper management expects from the mentor program and […]

Compensation 2013–Not Where We Wanted to Be

Unfortunately, there’s a place where we hoped to be in 2013, and that’s not where we are, but there are still strategies that will serve us well, says consultant Terry Pasteris. Where We’ve Been First of all, let’s look at where we’ve been, says Pasteris, who is president of TLMP Consulting Group. She offered her […]

Allstate to Pay Up to $120 Million to Settle Overtime Suit

Allstate Corp., the nation’s second-largest home and auto insurer, has agreed to pay out up to $120 million to settle claims that some of its white-collar employees in California were routinely required to work long hours without overtime pay. The settlement grew out of a class action lawsuit filed by insurance adjusters, alleging that Allstate […]

Obamacare provides lessons for every manager

by Dan Oswald It’s one of the most controversial pieces of legislation passed in my lifetime, with its legality being ruled on by the U.S. Supreme Court, but whether you support or reject Obamacare, it’s obvious that its execution has been deeply flawed. There’s a lesson in this for all of us. It’s not unusual […]