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Canada’s Rocky Economy Leads to Legal Refinements in Employment Benefit Law

By Bill Duvall As the prognosis for Canada’s economy remains uncertain, the Canadian court system continues to churn out employment cases arising from distressed employers. On this front, two recent cases are of interest. In the first, an Ontario court concludes that employees may not be entitled to statutory severance pay when they are provided […]

Another Uptick for SIFL Rates in Second Half of 2012

The standard industry fare level rates that employers will use to calculate the value of trips taken aboard company aircraft during the second half of 2012 were issued Aug. 14 by the U.S. Department of Transportation. The rates have increased about 4 ½ percent from those that were in effect for the first half of […]

Workplace Violence: New Case Gives Employers a Tool to Ward Off Tragedy; Restraining Orders Now Easier to Obtain

On July 8, 2003, a worker at a Lockheed Martin Mississippi aircraft parts plant gunned down 14 coworkers, killing five. On August 27, 2003, a disgruntled former employee opened fire at a Chicago auto parts warehouse, killing six former coworkers. These tragedies are just a fraction of the workplace violence incidents—which include the spillover of […]

Will the abolishment of mandatory retirement result in longer notice periods?

By Ralph N. Nero and Nicole R. Singh You’re about to terminate an employee’s employment without cause. He’s been with you for 30 years, earns $100,000, has a middle management position, and is 69 years old. He could retire with a full pension. Surely you don’t have to provide him with a severance package? Absolutely, […]

Calculating Overtime Using the Fluctuating Workweek Method

By Anne Torregrossa, JD, Brann & Isaacson When pondering wage and hour law, folks generally think in terms of “hourly” and “salaried” employees to distinguish between workers who are subject to the minimum wage and overtime requirements and those who aren’t. However, they are really talking about “nonexempt” and “exempt” employees under the Fair Labor […]

Quebec closing may have ramifications in Saskatchewan – Wal-Mart revisited

by Karen Sargeant As many of you will know from earlier blog entries, Wal-Mart’s entry into Canada has been rife with union complaints. Beginning in the 1990s when employees at a Windsor, Ontario, store were automatically certified under relatively new certification provisions, employees and unions have filed numerous unfair labor practice complaints. The most recent […]