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The Air Line Pilots Association International (ALPA) and Hawaiian Airlines have been negotiating toward a new pilots’ contract for approximately two years. Recently, ALPA has engaged in an extensive media campaign alleging that Hawaiian Airlines hasn’t made up for past wage cuts during the period the company was in bankruptcy several years ago. Contrary to […]
By BLR Founder and CEO Bob Brady You know you’ve been there: The legal department is advising you to do something that has no bearing on the real-life world of the workplace. “Just have managers stop inflating their performance ratings.” Sure, that will happen. “Keep employees from clocking in early.” Yeah, right. You know you’re […]
Participation in high-deductible health plans and health flexible spending accounts grew at a strong pace, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. The findings in “Health Insurance Coverage: Early Release of Estimates From the National Health Interview Survey, January–March 2013” suggest that employees’ interests in consumer-directed health plans is growing, information employers may find useful in […]
Employers that offer mass transit benefits have an opportunity to put in their two cents’ worth on whether the IRS should issue clarifying guidance on the use of smartcards in conjunction with qualified transportation fringe benefits. The IRS said in Notice 2012-38, which it issued May 26, “The Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service have become […]
Employers are always searching for ways to empower their employees to do their best work. They invest in training to help workers gain skills, and they develop policies designed to keep the workplace running smoothly, but other components—cultivating cultural intelligence and fostering an environment of inclusiveness—may be overlooked. Simma Lieberman, a diversity and inclusion/culture change […]
Most employers are aware that it’s illegal to retaliate against an employee who complains about discrimination. But did you know you are also at risk if you discipline or fire someone who merely supports a co-worker’s bias complaint? A Los Angeles employer recently learned this costly lesson when it was hit with a big jury […]
Yesterday, we looked at one of author and entrepreneur Jason Fried’s biggest gripes about the modern workplace: Interruptions, including those caused by managers who check in at inopportune times. But those interruptions are small potatoes compared to the most disruptive thing managers tend to do: Call meetings.
The California Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Cal/OSHA) is warning employers about recent incidents in which a man has allegedly impersonated a Cal/OSHA inspector and defrauded restaurant owners. The incidents have occurred in Southern California and in Roseville (near Sacramento).
Your 401(k) plan is designed to help everyone in your workplace to save for retirement—from the youngest employee to the oldest. In the last few years, you may have emphasized the importance of saving early and enough. It can be challenging to reach a diverse group of employees with a message that encourages action, because […]
By Jennifer Carsen, JD, Legal Editor On March 1, 2016, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against the state of Vermont in an Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) case that could have broad implications for states’ ability to regulate healthcare practices and reforms within their borders.